Last of the Time Lords AU
by InkFable
Summary: Harold Saxon, the Master, has the Earth in his iron grip and is threatening to destroy the world. Will the Doctor and Rose be able to stop him?  Taken from an RP; still a little rough around the edges. Completed 4/13/12!
1. The Beginning of the End

**Written By:** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong>This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>In a brilliant flash of blue light suddenly all three, the Doctor, Jack, and Rose, were transported on-board the Valiant, thanks to Jack. The Doctor winced and stretched his back. "A bit rough that thing is," he complained under his breath, glancing around to make sure the other two were okay. He grunted, back crackling as he tried to limber up. "I don't think it was at all designed for three..."<p>

Rose squeaked, stumbling upon materializing and leaning against the wall for support, just barely keeping herself from falling on her rear. Her head was pounding like crazy and her joints had never felt so stiff. The Doctor was right, the silly vortex manipulator of Jack's was certainly not meant for more than one person.

The Master, the Doctor's former friend and rival, had somehow risen to power in London under the alias of Harold Saxon during the trio's other adventures. At first, when the Doctor explained that Saxon was a Time Lord as well, Rose had been beside herself to find this out, thinking that the Doctor would finally feel just a little less lonely.

The Master, however, had other plans.

The madman had then stolen the Doctor's TARDIS and had converted it into a paradox machine. With that machine, he was going to destroy the human race. It had all happened so fast, and no one down in sunny little London were wise of what was about to occur. Everything looked bleak and now the only people on Earth with their minds free enough to do anything had just teleported themselves right in the heart of the greatest warship the madman owned. The situation couldn't possibly get more dangerous.

The Doctor glanced warily out the ship's window. Clouds, nothing but clouds for as far as the eye could see. Although he didn't show it, he felt rather sick. Not from the altitude, but from fear. He'd faced the Master hundreds of times in his past lives, but the Master, now Prime Minister, had never held so much power before. The entire world would be sure to hang on to his every word. The Doctor heaved a sigh and fingered the perception filter around his neck. This was it.

"Alright, you two, got your keys?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Rose nodded at his question with an anxious glance. She could hear the excited voice of Saxon within the conference room just a few doors ahead of them. She hoped that the filters the Doctor designed for them would do their job and keep the Master from noticing them.

Rose reached for the Doctor's hand. "We just have to get one of these keys around his neck, yeah? Then everyone will see just what a maniac he is?"

"Let's just hope it'll be that easy," replied the Doctor, glancing at Rose then towards Jack who was straightening his coat. "What about you? Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," answered Jack with a wink. "This should be fun."

The Time Lord nodded and gave Rose's hand a little squeeze, more to comfort himself than anything. Just when he had found out that he wasn't the only Time Lord left, it had to be a crazed lunatic who was intent on destroying the human race.

_Just my luck, eh? _

Still, the Master, no matter how horrible, was once a friend of his, not to mention that they were the last of their kind. The idea of making the Master realize his error and turn over a new leaf was a wonderful one, but all the same improbable. He couldn't help but sadly wonder if perhaps he was simply meant to be alone.

The Doctor blinked away the thoughts and came back into the present moment. "You two stay close."

Although he was talking to both of them, he looked at Rose as he spoke, worried. He had nearly lost her forever to the Void and he desperately didn't want to risk losing her again.

"Of course." Rose nodded to him, giving him a small nervous smile. She couldn't imagine ever straying from his side.

"Doctor," teased Jack with a quiet laugh, "you worry too much. Now let's just go and get this over with, huh? I think I'm getting airsick."

Rose laughed lightly at Jack and the three headed down the hallway. The door was open, and they were able to slip in easily. She prayed that the keys would keep them hidden.

"These, these _beautiful_little things, they are my children." The Master was standing from his seat, advancing toward the American president, who had three silver orbs flying around his head. A few cameramen lined the room, eager to get the best shots of the two powers and the amazing spheres that the Prime Minister had introduced. "I call them 'Tolcafane'. Aren't they just lovely?"

The little orbs flew around the president, diving in and out about the two men's heads playfully. The people in the room oohed and ahhed at the strange little things, amazed. The Master was absolutely beaming with pride. The Doctor was keeping a close eye on him, watching his expression, every little movement. Suddenly, something in the Master's eyes changed.

"Now, now, that's enough playing around," the Master cooed, taking a few steps back as if to study them. "Why don't you show us just what you can do, my beautiful children!"

He grinned as the Tolcafane suddenly transformed into killing machines. Terrible prods and spikes whirred out of their circular bodies, crackling wildly with electricity. With a buzz and a spin, the Tolcafane descended on the defenseless American beneath them.

The Doctor had just begun sneaking towards the Master's chair when the deranged Time Lord ordered the little weapons against the president. Eyes wide and unable to do anything, he watched as the man screamed in pain and burst into tiny particles. Shock crashed into the Doctor like a wave. Panic pulsed through his body and his grip around the perception filter meant for the great Saxon tightened. He cursed silently. _No! We're too late!_

All at once, the secret service officers drew their guns, aiming straight at the strange hovering balls, others aiming at the Master. The Doctor heard one of them shout something, but he hardly heard, his eyes locked on the other Time Lord.

It only took seconds for those floating silver things to reduce the American president to shreds. Though she had seen her fair share of death traveling alongside the Doctor, Rose's hands shot to her mouth, stifling a cry of complete shock at the sight. _No, no. No noise. Don't scream._She couldn't afford to make a sound, or the illusion cast by the perception filters would be broken. Jack pulled her to him protectively in an attempt to comfort her.

"Put your hands in the air, now!" yelled one of the secret servicemen. He was standing steady, but his eyes mirrored his fear. "Did you hear me? Put your hands up now!"

"Ah-ah." The Master shook a finger at the secret service men turning their guns on him. "Shame you're outnumbered, isn't it?"

With that, one of the Tolcafane killed the man in the same way as it had the president; one deadly swoop and a life was instantly destroyed. With a snap of his finger, the Master's guards turned on the president's men, and the Toclafane circled the air menacingly above them. With that threat neutralized, and the entire board room in a terrified silence, the Master took a glance to his right.

"No longer will I be referred to as Harold Saxon, as I am your lord and Master, now." His eyes were fixated on the only other Time Lord in the room, the one he could see very, very clearly. "And I am so glad that the Doctor could join us today. Oh, and would you look, he brought along his little friends too!" The Master feigned a pout and tutted. "As if he thought those perception filters would work on me."

Rage was flashing the Doctor's gold-brown eyes. Their cover had been blown and two men had just died within a minute of their arrival. He had hoped that they could complete this mission without shedding a drop of blood, but, as usual, the Doctor wasn't about to be that lucky.

"Stop it, stop all of this. You have no idea what you're doing!" he demanded. "Just look at yourself! Look at what you're doing!"

The only thing the Master could do for a few good moments was laugh at the Doctor. The poor, naive Doctor, always wanting to heal people. Always trying to save people.

Well, he wouldn't be healing this one.

"There's nothing you can do, Doctor, it's begun!" the Master laughed.

His wife, Lucy Saxon stepped casually around the Doctor and sidled up next to the Master, expression completely unreadable. The madman grinned and snaked his arm around the human woman, pulling her close, holding her like a trophy to brandish.

"As of right now," the Master said, "the entire human race is under my control."

"You can't do that!" Rose finally spoke up, pulling bravely away from Jack's hold to stand beside the Doctor. "The human race won't be controlled! We'll stop you."

"Stop me?" The Master was laughing again, his eyes flickering to the girl before moving back to his old enemy. "Doctor, you little human pet seems to think very highly of your abilities." He released Lucy, giving her a little smack on the bum for good measure, before hopping up to the control panel. "Tell me, if you can fix anything, heal anything...can you heal your TARDIS? Because she's about to make the most beautiful paradox for me!"

"No!" The Doctor bolted forward, trying to reach for the Master, anything to stop him, but he was caught and pulled back by the guards just as he was halfway up the steps. He staggered and thrashed angrily at the men holding him back. Another pair, fearing she might do something as well, reached out to grab Rose by the arm.

Just then, behind the Master, visible through the giant aircraft carrier window, the very sky itself began to rip apart. Within seconds, millions of Toclafane descended from a crack in the sky, swarming down to Earth like a giant, gray-black cloud.

"No!" the Doctor yelled again. He struggled against the guards and a growl of "stupid apes" tumbled from his mouth. This couldn't be happening.

"Doctor!" Rose Tyler thrashed wildly, twisting and kicking as hard as she could, but the guards were far too strong for the human girl. "Let me go!"

"Such devotion!" The Master chuckled, watching the human try to follow her Time Lord, before looking to the Doctor himself. He grinned brightly as if he had just made an impressive discovery.

With the attack already launched, the guards released the Doctor and Rose. Immediately, the Time Lord was up the steps and staring out at the millions of Toclafane pouring from the sky. His hearts skipped a beat and he felt as if he were going to be sick. Within minutes, the human race would be subject to one of the most horrific massacres they've ever known...


	2. Trapped

**Written By:** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong>This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Jack cursed under his breath and swallowed. He'd have to leave. There's no way that they could stop the Master by themselves. <em>They'll think I've abandoned them,<em> he thought, _but there's no other choice. Doctor, Rose...I'll be back. I promise. _

Jack Harkness wished he could have told them that, or at least shot them a pointed look, but all eyes were on the Master and the horror unfolding before them. His hand slid onto his leather band and in a flicker, he was gone.

"You're...you're a monster..." the Doctor breathed, speaking to the Master. He turned on the fellow Time Lord, a snarl on his face. "No," he growled, "you're worse than a monster. Far worse. Is all of this worth it to you?"

"Oh, of course it's worth it, Doctor. Just to see that look on your face." The Master gestured to the world outside. "Why would I pick Earth? Why, of all places, would I pick the planet populated by this group of stupid apes?" He paused, as if actually pondering it, tapping his chin. "Simple, Doctor, because I knew you were fond of them. And what loyalty they have for you! But, wait, what's this? It seems one is much less faithful than the others... Why, Doctor, where has your handsome Captain gone?" the Master asked, feigning a look of utter shock.

Rose glanced around to find Jack Harkness. Just as the Master said, the immortal man had vanished into thin air. _He still had the vortex manipulator! He left us!_Rose couldn't hide the hurt from her face when she glanced toward the Doctor.

The Doctor's face fell as he too wondered if Jack had truly abandoned them. It wasn't like Harkness to desert them, even in the most dangerous of situations. The Doctor felt a cold shiver run down his spine. _Hardly five minutes in,_ he thought, _and things are unraveling already._

"Ooh, this is too much fun. It's a pity though that your friend got away." The Master clapped his hands together in glee, still glaring at the Doctor. "Maybe we can get rid of him though. How about we decimate the population? That's a grand word, 'decimate'. I'll do it. My children will remove one tenth of the human population!" With that, he slammed his finger down on another button. "Still want to ask me if it's worth it, Doctor?"

In his mounting rage, the time traveler bolted towards the Master and grabbed his collar. "Stop this! By Rassilon, I swear that-"

Before he could finish, the Master's guards were on him, trying to desperately pry the fighting Time Lord from their leader. Finally one slammed a knee straight into the Doctor's stomach, sending the man gasping for air. His body curled in pain, but he didn't take his eyes off the Master.

"No!" Rose shouted, as the guards moved to force the Doctor into submission. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was pounding on the back of the one who had dared to kick him, but she was pulled off in an instant. All she could do was watch the Toclafane murder a tenth of her species, frustratingly helpless and angry.

The Master tilted his head back, relishing the moment of pain in both of his enemies' faces. He glanced up at the dumbfounded crowd, the cameramen still at their cameras, staring slack-jawed along with the rest. A low, fearful murmur had begun to spread along the group of people. The Master waved his hand and sighed, "Oh, take them away. Lock them up. Ah, no, kill them. Much simpler that way." He clapped his hands. "Get to it, then."

"Please, please stop," the Doctor gaped, wheezing. "Don't do this. Don't kill anyone else. What do you want me to do? Just don't..."

The Master was practically basking in this. This chaos, this horror, it was like his oxygen. He needed it to live and the fact that the Doctor was actually pleading for the pathetic humans' lives was priceless.

"Is this your way of telling me you'd do anything?" The Master's face lit up so bright one might think it was Christmas morning. A moment of silence fell over the conference room. Most of the humans had already been forced out. Now it was simply the Master himself, his darling Lucy, their pitiful captives, and a few guards.

"Anything, Doctor?" He snickered, allowing the eerie quiet to pass over them. "Tell me what you would do to make me stop?"

"No, you stop," Rose demanded. "You can't gain anything from humiliating him!"

The Doctor flinched as Rose stepped in. She was fighting for him, defending him, fearless in the face of one of the greatest evils known to Earth. "Rose, stay out of this," he said, slowly catching his breath. He didn't want her to get hurt and there was no telling what the Master might do if she made him angry.

The Master broke out in a wide grin, striding over to Rose. "Oh, you _are_interesting, Rose Tyler," he snickered, walking around her and eying her almost like a shark would. "I think I'll have a lot of fun with you."

"I will not be staying out of this," Rose growled to the Doctor before glaring at the Master. "What do you want from him? What do you want from _us_?"

"My answer's simple," the Master went on. "I want fun." He hurried to a chair, spinning around in it and rolling it to settle in between Rose and the Doctor. "And fun, I will most certainly have. Let's see...how to play..." He fished his laser screwdriver from his pocket, flipping it out and adjusting a little wheel on it's side. "This baby -laser, by the way- has so many settings. Ah! Here's one!" He pointed it at Rose, sending a jolt of electricity at her.

It caught her off guard, hitting her right in the stomach. A quick, but powerful pain, caused her to cry out, doubling over. It felt as if her entire body were on fire, blasting into her middle straight to her spine and spreading to her arms and legs. She screeched once more, convulsed, then fell limp and would have fallen completely over if it hadn't been for the guards now holding her up.

"Rose!" The sight was like a hard slap in the face for the Doctor. His face grew pale with shock then his anger took over again and this time he nearly jerked out of the guard's grasp. He would have too if another one hadn't pushed him down to his knees. His mouth went dry. Every cell in his body begged to kill the Master, in fact, the Doctor almost thought it would be a pleasure watching the madman die for what he's done, but he held his tongue, not wanting him to hurt Rose again for his own words.

"See, that one's a good time! Rose likes it," the Master laughed, winking at the Doctor. "But I have an even better one for you."

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked, entirely ignoring the Master. He wished that the man would just shut up for once. "Rose?"

After a few seconds, Rose was able to find her voice. She could hear the Doctor calling for her, but was at first only aware of the way her head swam and the pain in her stomach. Sucking in a breath, she raised her head to look at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Promise," she said, giving him a small smile. One tenth of the human race has just been killed. You've got to be strong. The Doctor can't afford to worry over you.

"Oh, how sickeningly sweet." The Master pretended to wretch, but he was calculating, seeing what buttons he could press and which ones he could press even harder.

"Now, I've got one for you, Doctor. See, I've got your genetic code...that hand your friend left in your TARDIS. And, I've got a special aging technique another friend of yours made not too long ago. Remember good old Dr. Lazarus?" He smirked cruelly, flicking the switches on his screwdriver. "I wonder, Doctor, how your little pet would feel if she could see all the years of your life? Now, just set it in reverse and...let's try one hundred on for size!"

He pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor and pressed the button. Futilely, the Doctor attempted to lunge and grab the screwdriver, but it was far too late.

The Doctor screamed.

Trashing and wailing the Doctor felt himself growing old. He could finally feel his real age taking toll on his body. _What a strange feeling._He hadn't felt "old" in nearly ten regenerations. He let out another loud yell and fell to the ground,groaning. His back suddenly felt stiff and his joints ached with arthritis, but worst of all, he felt weak. Helpless against the Master. And in front of Rose... his head was spinning.

The Doctor cringed a little and raised up onto his elbows, trying hard to avoid Rose's gaze. This was all his fault. He should've forced Rose to stay home, as if she would have been any safer. He pulled in a few labored breaths and looked down at the floor.

The second the Doctor had screamed, Rose was shouting his name. Her energy had returned, and she was tearing at the guards holding her, trying to gain traction and launch out of their arms. To tackle the Master, to do anything to stop this, but it was no use. What she saw when the Master pulled his screwdriver away horrified her:

Where the Doctor had been standing now lay a wrinkled old man crumpled gracelessly on the floor. A horribly withered old thing, frail and what little hair he had left was a scraggly snow-white. She knew it was the Doctor, of course it was, the Master had explained how, but for a few moments in her horror, Rose simply couldn't wrap her brain around it. How could her handsome, tall Doctor be...that?

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she shoved them back. The Master would not see her cry. Though she desperately wanted to shed tears for the pain the Doctor must be going through, the humiliation of him looking this way, falling completely vulnerable to the Master, she couldn't give the Master that satisfaction.

"Doctor?" she murmured. "Doctor? Answer me, please." She struggled against the guards. "Let me go, let me help him, please! Let me go!"

The Master laughed openly, grinning to Lucy who was gaping at the lump of wrinkled flesh before them. "This is all good fun, isn't it, darling? What say we leave them alone for a bit? Let the Doctor get used to his new body. And little Rosie to his new face." He smirked at Rose and winked, squeezing his wife's hand. The Master then stood from his chair and hooked an arm around Lucy's waist.

"Good-bye, Doctor, Rose. Don't worry, you'll be seeing me soon." He turned to his guards as they left. "Stand by the door and keep an eye on them. If the girl tries anything funny, shoot her. She's of no use to me."

As soon as they had gone, Rose fell to her knees at the Doctor's side. "Doctor?" she murmured, hesitantly reaching out to him, her hand stopping just before touching him. "Please, just tell me you're okay. Just say something..." She let a tear fall in sadness and panic. What if the Master had killed him? What was she supposed to do without him?

The Doctor slowly and stiffly lifted himself up into a sitting position. Rose carefully reached out to help him. The last thing he probably wanted from her was sympathy, but she couldn't bare to see him struggle. His frown deepened at the sight of Rose's tears and he gently placed a withered hand on her cheek, wiping away the bit of moisture with his thumb. The sight of her sad, worried face felt more painful to him than anything that the Master could have done.

"Rose...I am sorry. I am so, so sorry," he apologized softly, his voice gravely and cracked with age. "Please forgive me. I shouldn't have gotten you involved, I should've taken you someplace safe."

As his hand went to her face, Rose tried to stop crying, closing her eyes for a moment, but the tears only came faster. "No...no, Doctor, don't apologize..." Rose said, placing her hand over his on her cheek, squeezing it. "It's not your fault. And besides, I'd never leave you." She wouldn't dare have let the Doctor face this man alone. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. That he did this...I couldn't stop him. There was nothing I could do."

The Time Lord forced a smile. His Rose, his sweet Rose. He didn't deserve such a beautiful, caring young woman; not after all he's put her through. "Don't worry about me," he said, trying to sound more confident. "This isn't over yet."

The Doctor winced as he tried to stand. It almost came as a surprise to him at how difficult it had become to move with his new, or rather, his old body. _Is this what humans feel like when they get __older? So crippled and confined, nothing working properly as it should? _

"We'll get out of this somehow," he continued. "But, please, whatever the Master says, do it. Don't question him. I can't have you getting hurt again. Alright?"

"No, don't try to stand. You should save your strength for when the Master comes back," Rose said, placing her hands on his shoulder. She couldn't stand to see him like this. The Doctor was the most powerful man in the universe, he shouldn't be reduced to this. "I can't make any promises," Rose sighed, knowing she couldn't help retaliate against the Master if he hurt the Doctor. "But I'll try, okay? I'll try."

He heaved a long sigh. "Thank you, Rose," he murmured. "I never thought it'd come to this." The Doctor nearly laughed and he wasn't sure why. Maybe he was just tired or maybe he too was going insane. _No. Must be fatigue. _

"It's alright, Doctor." Rose murmured, wrapping her arms gently around him. She drew him into a gentle hug, holding him against her. It felt odd, like hugging a strange man, but she knew deep down it was her still her Doctor. The Master may have changed his appearance, but the Doctor still had the same hearts and the same mind. She still loved him and she knew that somehow, someway, they would get out of this.

"At least we're together, yeah?" she stated, trying to sound cheerful. "At least you don't have to do this alone."

The Doctor accepted the embrace and wrapped his arms around her small frame. "Of course," he whispered, snapping out of his thoughts. "Of course, Rose. I wish I could repay you for all this. I've put you through so much." The withered time traveler pulled back and smiled at her the best he could. "But you still have stayed with me."

As he spoke, Rose shook her head. "I think time and space is enough to repay anyone." She murmured. He pulled back from her, and she raised her hands to his face, smoothing the wrinkles. Though he may look like a decrepit old man, the young, bright, excited Doctor still lived somewhere behind his weary eyes.

"I couldn't ever leave you, Doctor. No matter what." Rose promised. "I told you. Forever. I'm staying with you forever."


	3. The Bargain

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong>This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Outside the control room, Lucy seemed a little absentminded as she and the Master walked down the halls. "Harry..." she started slowly. She had to be careful how she worded her sentence. "Why...why didn't you just kill him? What good is an old man?"<p>

"Because, my love," The Master began, grinning like he was on the top of the world, "I love having new toys. And that's just what those two are. They're my new toys."

Lucy nodded, but she still seemed distracted. She didn't like having that Tyler girl around. She was too young, too pretty, and she wasn't particularly fond of her husband keeping her around. "Must you keep the girl?" she asked, unable to hide her annoyance. Quickly embarrassed and almost frightened, Lucy stiffened and looked away.

The Master raised an eyebrow, looking down at his own little human pet. "Do I detect jealousy, my dear Lucy?" Another devious little smile spread across his lips. "Are you jealous of the Doctor's little Rose? Oh, she's nothing to fear. Just another way to torture the Doctor. Quickest way to break a Time Lord's hearts? Break the girl they beat for. Have you seen the way he looks at her? She has value."

Lucy looked a little perturbed now. "I'm not jealous," she sniffed, folding her arms. "But I don't trust her. She's strong-willed. Did you notice how she stood up to you?" Part of young Lucy Saxon admired Rose for it, but then another part of her hated Rose for having courage that she never could muster.

"I did notice," the Master scoffed, "But she won't try anything if she wants to live. Enough torture sessions will make that clear to her. And I'm sure the Doctor will keep her on a short leash. I wouldn't worry about her, my dear Lucy. She's only a pitiful ape." The Master pulled her to him with one arm and gave her a kiss. "All better?"

Lucy sighed. _But aren't all humans that to you? What does that make me?_she thought. "I suppose," she finally answered with an assumed smile.

"Good!" The Master slipped his arm off of her and began walking again. "I'll be late to bed tonight. I've got a little job that I want the guards to take care of for me. A little gift for our dear Doctor..."

The night left the Doctor and Rose alone in the conference room. The Master didn't return for them the rest of the night, choosing to be otherwise occupied. Rose spent half the time staring at the large window, watching the Toclafane destroy her world. What could they do? With the Doctor incapacitated, she couldn't make an escape... All she could do was wait. She glanced at the Doctor. He didn't need as much sleep as humans like her did, and was sitting in a chair against the wall, staring out one of the windows.

Rose yawned and tried to find a comfortable position in one of the rolling chairs, sleepiness weighing down her eyelids. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Rose slept well enough that night, despite being curled up rather uncomfortably in the chair. She slept well enough, that is, until the Master came barging in almost at the break of dawn.

"Rise and shiiiiine!" he shouted, pounding on the table, nearly causing the disheveled Rose to topple from her seat. "Did you two lovebirds have a nice night together?"

The Doctor stared blankly at the Master. "Looks like at least someone rested well," he scoffed softly.

The Master chuckled, grabbing Rose's chair and rolling it around the room. "It was the best sleep of my life, knowing I had you two new toys!" He grinned. Rose scrambled out of the chair, rushing to the Doctor's side. She glared defensively at the madman.

"My, my. Someone didn't get their beauty sleep. You look worse for wear, Rose Tyler."

"Can't say _you_ever look good," Rose snapped.

"Touché." The Master rolled his eyes. "Now, tell me, what should I do to you two today?"

"What more do you want with us?" asked the Doctor calmly, instinctively letting his hand rest on Rose's arm. "You've had your fun. You've succeeded. But, now there's not much else for you to do, now is there?" He straightened a little. "What happens when you've destroyed everything?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"There's an entire universe for me to rip apart, Doctor," the Master hissed. "It'll be so much easier when you're too broken to fix it yourself." He took out his screwdriver, flipping it around. "And right now, you're my focus, Doctor. You've seen the entire human population suffer. What difference would just one make?"

He aimed his screwdriver at Rose, who backed up against the wall. "Get that off of me."

The old man's eyes lit up and he frantically tried to stand, his old bones straining under his own weight. "No, don't!" He held his hand out, towards the Master and slowly managed to stand. The Doctor leaned heavily against the wall for support.

"Master, don't you dare hurt Rose again." The Time Lord moved as close to her as he could and placed his free arm across her, the other pressed against the wall.

Nothing could keep the Master from bursting into laughter. It was just too much, to see his old holier-than-thou rival reduced to a shriveled old coot, trying to protect the young human at his side. It was just too much!

"Oh, I do love it when you use my name." He grinned maliciously.

"You're sick." Rose spat, one hand moving to steady the Doctor, laid on his shoulder. The old Time Lord squeezed her arm lightly, trying to remind her what he had told her about doing what the Master said. At least he didn't look angry. In fact, the insult had completely delighted the madman.

"Thank you, what a lovely compliment!" exclaimed the Master cheerily before looking to the Doctor, suddenly looking more serious. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill her. Lucy was just talking about it yesterday. She has no uses."

"She's no danger to you," he stated. He had to speak carefully. "Rose..." The Doctor took a deep breath and prayed she'd forgive him for even suggesting it, but it might at least keep her alive. "...would make a good servant. It's only practical isn't it? I haven't seen too many servants around. Just those bumbling oafs you call guards."

A heavy silence settled over the trio. Neither Rose nor the Master had been expecting the Doctor's suggestion. At first, the Master look pensive, though he was secretly delighted that the Doctor would offer up his human companion so easily, anything to keep his darling Rose from harm, but it was the look on the girl's face that really cinched it for him. Her eyes were wide, and she looked at the Doctor with a mixture of hurt and outrage. Why would he even suggest that? Rose knew he needed to keep her safe but this... It made her heart constrict in her chest.

"No, 'm not doing that. I'm not going to be your servant," she said weakly, shaking her head. _Doctor, how could you even think of such a thing!_

"Well, I mean," the Master shrugged, "you _could_die. That's your other option. And leave the poor Doctor here all on his own."

The Doctor hated having to say it and seeing the look on Rose's face was almost enough to kill him right there. He almost immediately wished he could take the words back, but right now there seemed to be no other way. The only way the Master would let her live is if she made use of herself. The Doctor shot Rose an apologetic look. "I don't want to loose you," he answered quietly.

He wished it were different. If Rose were to agree, it would save her life, but he also knew it would be degrading. A woman with an iron-will and the pride of Rose Tyler would surely be humiliated. He knew the Master would relish in her mortification just as he had in his, but at least it would keep her alive. That's all the Doctor cared about at the moment. If she were safe, he could keep going. Just seeing her, hearing her voice, gave him enough confidence that they could possibly win this.

"Please, Rose, do this for me."

This was practically the best entertainment the Master could get. To see the Doctor and his companion look so bloody heartbroken, oh it was amazing.

"What's your choice, Rose Tyler?" The Master grinned. Of course, he didn't really need her word. He could simply force her to do it, they all knew it, but this was far too much fun for him. He wanted her to bend to his will. Rose swallowed. She knew the choice she had to make. She couldn't leave the Doctor alone, nor was she quite willing to let them man kill her.

"Fine," she choked, "I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" The Master beamed, reaching forward to run his fingers through a piece of the girl's tangled hair. "I have the perfect outfit and everything. What do you think, Doctor? Won't she make a pretty little servant girl?"

This was almost too much for him, but it had to be done. The Doctor wasn't one for violence and he avoided it when possible, but there had been the dark times when the Doctor was anything but pacifistic, the most recent being the time he had first met Donna Noble. Rose and Donna had watched in horror as the Doctor, consumed by his own emotions, had attempted to destroy not just the Racnoss Empress, but her millions of children trapped beneath the earth's surface. If it hadn't been for Rose, he probably would have. Instead, he let the Empress go, as it was already too late for her children. Seeing the Master toy with Rose, his Rose, taunting her...that was enough to bring back his very deeply buried bloodlust.

The Doctor stared contemptuously at the Master. If age wasn't hindering him, he would have made sure to connect a nice solid blow straight into that wicked smile of his.

"Beautiful," he snapped scathingly.

It was there, burning behind the Doctor's eyes. That hate, the unbridled rage of a thousand year old man. The Oncoming Storm, glaring down the Master for daring to toy with Rose Tyler.

And the Master loved it.

"Truly beautiful," he snickered, letting his eyes roam down across her features, still twirling a strand of her golden hair.

"I'll do this on one condition," Rose snatched her hair back from him, resisting the urge to spit in the Master's face. "You will let me see the Doctor whenever I want. At any time. And I won't argue with you or anything. You have my word."

The Doctor could have cried. Good, beautiful, wonderful, _fantastic_Rose. How could she still be with him even though he suggested that she be put through the humiliation of serving the Master? Oh he didn't deserve this, he never did.

"You heard her," the Doctor replied, trying hard not to sound too angry, "what do you say?"

The Master narrowed his eyes. He would love to torture them by keeping them apart. _But, perhaps it would be even more painful for them to see what the other would slowly become._

"Fine." The Master shrugged. "What do I care if you have full visitation rights. But if I hear of any plot or plan or anything, you will lose those privileges very fast. And you have to do everything I say. Every last word."

"Fine." Rose swallowed hard. This would be awful, humiliating and terrifying, and part of her wanted to slap the Doctor as hard as she could for coming up with it. "It's a deal. And right now, I want to see the Doctor. Alone."  
>"Demands, demands," the Master chuckled, turning his back. "Ten minutes, my little rosebud. You work for me now." And with that, he was gone.<p>

As soon as the Master left, the Doctor hugged Rose. "Before you argue, try to understand that this is the only way," he said. He closed his eyes. "You do understand, don't you?"

Rose couldn't help herself, as she wrapped her arms around the Doctor, holding him as tightly as his weak body would allow. "I know, I know, but..." she said weakly, trying to find a way to make her distaste viable. "His servant? Really, Doctor? You of all people to suggest that..." She buried her head in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he answered, trying his best to comfort her. "But the Master wouldn't have let you go. Unless he thinks you're useful to him, he'd kill you. I don't know what I'd do with myself if that happened. I nearly lost you more than once, I don't want to risk it again."

Rose was silent for a while, her face leaned into the Doctor's shoulder. He was right, she knew he was, but it still broke her heart to think of all they were going to have to face.

"What are we going to do, Doctor?" She sighed, lifting her head to look up at him, "How are we getting out of this one?"

The Time Lord didn't answer for a moment. That was a tough question. Tougher than he liked it to be. He could save the universe with only a kettle and a piece of string, but now he was struggling to safe just one human being, never mind the rest of the world. The Doctor had slipped and, with the past doomed to repeat itself, he had managed to drag not just his companion but the rest of the human race down in his wake.

The silence nearly killed Rose. What had she expected? Had she really expected him to have some grand plan to sort this all out? Well, in all fairness, he always had. Before this, he had always known a surefire way to get out of something like this. The Doctor always had the answers. He could always keep her safe.

This time, it wasn't guaranteed.

"I...I'm not sure," the Doctor finally replied, looking down at her. He glanced warily at the guards, the Master's threat echoing in his ears. The Doctor leaned into Rose's arms again and pressed his face close to her ear, trying to appear distressed. He feigned a few sobs and held her closer.

Rose nearly broke down when he leaned into her arms, and she held him tight, wishing she was as used to the feeling of this strange, old body like she was of her young Doctor's, that was she could be comforted by it. Just as she felt tears coming, the Doctor spoke again as he leaned in. His voice when he whispered, just barely audible into her ear, was calm and it gave her a wonderful flicker of hope.

"I promise everything will be okay. We'll just have to wait. Be careful. The opportunity will present itself." The Doctor lifted momentarily and wiped a few invisible tears, making sure the guards saw, and leaned back in.

"Since you'll be serving the Master, keep an eye on him if you can and relay anything important back to me," he whispered. "But if your instinct tells you you're getting in too deep, listen. We're on thin ice."

The Doctor pulled back again and let out another fairly convincing sob, placing a hand over his eyes. "This...this is all my fault. I've lost. I've lost it all, Rose..."

She knew what he was playing at; distressed hero and his comforting companion, the man who had lost everything cowering in the arms of the only thing he had left. Rose could play this part easily. She stroked his back, hiding her smile from the guards by angling her face toward him. He didn't give her much, she knew he couldn't, but the hope was enough. It was enough to know the Doctor wasn't ready to give up the fight.

Rose gave a small, only slightly perceptible nod, before pressing a kiss to his withered cheek. Risky move, she knew, but they both needed the strength. No matter what, he had her trust. Even if he had just forced her into a precarious position. "I trust you," she murmured, before pulling back, trying not to smirk at his fake sobs. "It's alright, Doctor." She pretended to stroke his arms out of comfort. "We'll be alright, we will..."

Nothing coherent, just the ramblings of two tortured people. That's all they were. Two tortured souls...

The Doctor buried his face in her shoulder and smiled. Rose's words and sweet kiss made courage and hope flame in his chest. Even Time Lords had their doubts, but if there was one thing the Doctor never doubted it was Rose Tyler.

He took a deep breath and looked up over her shoulder sadly in silence. In his thoughts, he just faintly heard the chiming of the TARDIS' cloister bell. The Doctor grimaced. The TARDIS, more living than machine, was in pain as well. The noises coming from it somewhere within the ship were both defiant and desperate. It would have to wait a little while longer.

The idea of sitting patiently through this ordeal didn't exactly thrill Rose. The Master would have quite a bit of fun tormenting her, especially if he could rub the Doctor's nose in it, and Rose wasn't looking forward to finding out what he had in store. However, the Doctor hadn't given up hope, even though he was pretending to, and that meant something.

"Please, don't give up," Rose insisted quietly. She knew they were simply acting, but truth shone through her words. She needed him now more than ever. "You're all I have."  
>It was true, in so many ways. With her mother trapped in a parallel universe, and Jack having abandoned them, the Doctor really was all she had.<p>

"Time's up, kids!" announced the Master, spinning through the door.

As the Master, excitedly as ever, bounded back into the room, the Doctor reluctantly pulled away from Rose, but still held one of her arms. He looked miserable and his weathered features exaggerated his facade. His eyes, though they still burned with anger, looked weary and sunken. His hair, or, at least, what was left of it, was a disheveled mess. The Doctor hadn't even bothered to try to fix it. He looked so pitiful like this. Old and frail, clinging to his young companion. It was pathetic.

"What's wrong, old man?" the Master snickered. "Need your midday nap?"

"Leave him alone." Rose rolled her eyes, in no mood for the Master and his cheap shots.

The deranged Time Lord only laughed. "Alright then, I'll pick on you instead, Rose Tyler." His happy expression was manic. "Besides, it's time for you to say goodbye to your precious Doctor for now."


	4. Loyalty

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong>This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>It was a few long hours before Rose stumbled back into the console room with the Doctor. The Master had given her the most ridiculous outfit, and threatened the Doctor's well being if she dared not to wear it at all times. It would have looked more at place in a Halloween store than as an actual maid uniform, with a skirt much shorter than Rose Tyler was comfortable wearing. And she was sure Mrs. Saxon wouldn't be happy when she saw it.<p>

Rose didn't say anything, as she simply sighed and ran her hands through her hair. The Master had forced her to clean for a few hours, and then made her serve him tea while he tested the Toclafane on innocent people.

The Doctor looked up as he heard her come in and instantly he felt a weight slam into his chest. What in the name of Rassilon had the Master done? He swallowed at the sight of Rose's outlandish costume. True, Rose didn't look particularly bad in it, but she was radiating discomfort and guilt swept over him. The Doctor never would have made her wear something so...scanty. He knew the Master would make it embarrassing for Rose in exchange for her life, but he didn't think that the Master would go that far just to humiliate her.

"Oh Rose..." He stood and shook his head, leaning on the long table in the center of the room to move towards her. Once there, he clasped his hands on her shoulders and briefly looked her up and down, then into her brown eyes, pained.  
><em>If he dared to do anything to her...<em>The Doctor frowned and brushed back her hair. "Are you alright?"

Instantly, Rose felt comforted by the Doctor's presence. Even though his old face was unfamiliar, he still held the same aura, still radiated comfort. The human girl sighed again, looking at him.

"Yeah." Rose nodded. Other than the shame and mental strife, she was physically fine. The Master hadn't physically harmed her. "I'm not hurt." She tugged self-consciously on the skirt, looking down before meeting the Doctor's eyes. "He made me watch..." she finally murmured, "...he made me watch while those things tore apart innocent people..."

The Doctor's frown deepened at Rose's statement. That must have been horrible for her. He had seen many civilizations fall, watched thousands suffer and die, he himself had even committed genocide for what he had thought was the greater good. Death pained him, but he had become a little more hardened towards it. Rose, however, a human he had whisked away from home and taken into his whirlwind of a life, hadn't. She had seen people die in their travels, but never so many in such a short time and she certainly had never been forced to watch.

"I'm so, so sorry." Tears of sympathy swelled in his eyes and he embraced Rose again. "You shouldn't have had to see that, no one should. I am so sorry." More than ever the Doctor wished he could help Rose forget all the horrors she had seen. The Master would certainly pay for all the wrongs he had done.

In his embrace, Rose could settle. She could bite back her tears and close her eyes. There was safety in the Doctor's arms, even amidst all of this chaos. Yes, she was heartbroken, disturbed and scared, but the Doctor didn't do that to her. He blamed himself for so many things. She wouldn't let him blame himself for this too.

"Don't apologize." Rose murmured into his shoulder, "It's not your fault."

"Ooh how cute." It was the Master's snarl. He had barged in and the two hadn't even noticed. Quickly Rose lifted her head, pulling away from the Doctor slightly.

"I'd coo over you if I was happy." There was something new in the maniac's voice. Rage. "But I am not happy."

The Doctor's old muscles tensed. The Master was cruel when he was happy, but when he was angry, he was even more sadistic than usual. The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the Master.

"What's wrong?" he asked, spite twinging his cracked voice. He bit back a smart remark, not letting go of Rose.

"Haven't you done enough today?" Rose hissed, not at all poised to take any more from this man. Anger be damned, she would not have him torment her anymore, but the Master ignored her. She was just a stupid human. His eyes were boring holes in the Doctor.

"Oh you know exactly what," he snorted. "Your little friend Captain Jack is up to something. He was spotted in Cardiff. Now you're going to tell me what he's up to." The Master drew out his sonic and pointed it at the Doctor. "You will tell me!"

_Jack? Jack is in Cardiff?_ Hope and joy sprung throughout the Time Lord's aged body. _Captain Jack hadsn't abandoned us after all!_But the Doctor's moment of happiness quickly blinked out almost as soon as he had felt it, eyes falling on the laser sonic pointed directly at his face. His brows knit together and he shook his head, quickly moving Rose behind him just in case. "I don't know anything about it," he conceded. "I thought Jack had left us for good."

"That's a lie." The Master growled, getting frustrated, "You know and you will tell me!"

Despite the Master's anger, Rose felt relief rush through her. The news that Jack was alive and hadn't given up on them was like a breath of fresh air. She couldn't keep the smile from her face.

And that made the Master even angrier.

"Old brain too scattered?" The Master angrily glared at the Doctor when he didn't answer. Frustrated, he hit the button on the screwdriver to reverse the aging process. The Doctor let out an anguished yell which ended in a tone of triumph as youth flooded through his old body once more. He took in a few deep breaths and, despite the pain that was still throbbing through his veins, couldn't help but break a tiny grin. He felt like he could do something now.

"That should be better. Is you mind clear now, _Doctor_?" the Master growled. "Now tell me what I want to know. Or I'll kill her. Just like that." He was now pointing the sonic at Rose.

"Leave her out of this," the Doctor retorted, straightening his rumpled pinstripe jacket. His mind was racing. It was either keep telling the truth and saying he had no idea what Jack was up to or lie and possibly make the Master angrier in the future. Either one didn't sound too great.

"You want to know what Jack's doing?" The Doctor dared move closer to the Master, still in the way of Rose, making sure that the Master wouldn't have a clear shot. "Well, he left us, didn't he?" The Doctor tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "What does that make you think?"

"She's as much a part of this as you are," the Master hissed, wondering if he had made a mistake. He flicked through settings on his screwdriver, glaring at the scantily clad blonde hidden behind the now taller Doctor. "You know what I think?" the Master began, his ire rising, "I think you sent him on a mission! And I think you should tell me what he's doing."

"Jack abandoned us," Rose piped up. "Whatever he's doing, it's not for us."

"Quiet!" the Master yelled, letting out a low and feral growl, slamming his fist down on the table. "I am losing my patience."

The Doctor raised a hand. "Now hold on a minute, Master," he continued. "Why would we send Jack to Cardiff? Of all the places in the world?" He flung his hands into a wide circle before stuffing them back in his pockets of his trench coat. "What's in Cardiff? Nothing. Well, not since your Tolcafane demolished most of Wales. What would be point of sending him there if Cardiff is ruined?"

If he was worried, he was doing a good job hiding it. "Good ol' Captain Jack Harkness...the coward abandoned us." The Doctor was now across from the Master, leaning his hands on the table. "Frankly, after seeing the mess we got ourselves in, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to just hide there. We know nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"I don't know what would be the point, Doctor. That's why I'm asking you." The Master narrowed his eyes. His hand was shaking on his screwdriver. "Your friends don't leave you, Doctor. You don't get abandoned. I know that very, very well."

As the Doctor was talking, he had shifted, just enough for the Master to get a good shot. With one deft movement, Rose was hit squarely in the stomach with an electric shock from his sonic, and she crumbled to the floor, biting back screams. Only whimpers came out of her mouth. She knew why the Master was torturing her, and she wouldn't cave or make this harder on the Doctor.

"Jack Harkness did _not_abandon you. Tell me where he went. Now." The Master's voice was quieter now, rage calmed by the control he had gained by hurting the human.

The Doctor's gold-brown eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. He turned and was immediately at Rose's side. He wrapped his now strong arms around her, doing his best to shield her, and glowered at the Master. The Doctor's anger was spilling out again and his voice was just barely shaking in his rage. "Jack abandoned us! There is no plot or scheme!"

Once the Doctor had fallen beside Rose Tyler, the Master switched off his screwdriver. It left the girl breathing heavily, clutching the Doctor's arms. "I'm fine. I'm fine," Rose was gasping, over and over, struggling to keep from screaming. She could still feel the shocks trailing along her skin, sharp pains wracking all of her insides, but she knew the Master wouldn't kill her. This was her purpose.

"We know Harkness is up to something. He's a bit of a blabber mouth, and we've found the people he talks to. Now out with it, Doctor, or I'll hit her again. And there's nowhere for her to run."

Panic flushed the Doctor's face pale and he looked up at the Master. "I am telling you the truth!" he exclaimed, holding Rose even tighter. "I have no idea what Jack is up to, but whatever it was, neither Rose nor I had planned anything with him." The Time Lord's voice quivered and he added more quietly, "Why would I risk her life by lying?"

The deranged Time Lord tilted his head back and stared down at the two pitiful things. He was considering what his childhood friend had said. The Doctor right about one thing, he wouldn't risk Rose Tyler's life by lying. Though, just to be sure, he flicked a few notches on the screwdriver and aimed it once more. This time Rose screamed, writhing in pain in the Doctor's arms. The level had risen, and the intensity was greater.

The Doctor squeezed Rose as tight as he could against him, burying his face into her hair, trying his best to comfort her. This was terrible watching her scream and twist in pain. Each shock felt as though it were going through him as she cried out. He felt powerless. The Doctor was trembling, now leaning Rose into the curve of his body like he would a child and rocking her slowly.

The Master stared into the Doctor's eyes while he tortured the girl, finally letting up after a few slow moments.

"You swear to me?" he asked, as if speaking to a friend, knowing the next setting up might kill the human girl.

"I swear," he choked, his voice becoming slightly stronger at the end. "I swear I don't know."

Rose's entire body felt like it was on fire. Even after the Master had turned off the shocks, she still felt the residual effects weaving through her body. There were tears streaming from her eyes that she hadn't been aware of until now. She clung to the Doctor, sobs wracking at her body.

The Master stared at them for another few moments, before pocketing his screwdriver. "Fine. I believe you," he muttered, glaring. "But if I hear from him again, I'll be back, and I won't be so nice this time."

"By the way," he piped up as he turned to leave, "I have this great idea of a new home for you. I'll have the guards bring it in later. Toodles, kids."

With the Master gone, Rose turned into the Doctor's shoulder, trying to stem her sobs. "I'm so sorry..." She choked out. The Doctor let his gaze linger on the Master as he turned, his very core burning with hatred for the man. His attention quickly returned to Rose as she spoke. The time traveler frowned and held her close, stroking her now ruffled hair.

"Shh..." he comforted, "shh, it's okay. Don't apologize." The Doctor swallowed and gently turned his face into her hair, kissing her head. "You've nothing to be sorry for. Just rest."

The weight of guilt had grown heavier and it pressed down on his shoulders. Rose was in pain because of him. He had promised Jackie, Rose's mother, that he would keep her safe even though he knew that could easily be a promise broken. He closed his eyes.

_No, I won't let this happen again. I'm going to protect her with my life. I won't break this promise, no matter what._

The Doctor reopened his eyes and shifted his face to rest his chin on Rose's shoulder. Wherever Jack was, whatever he was doing, he wished he would hurry. It was odd to think that he, the Doctor, needed saving, but it was obvious that he couldn't do this on his own. And he hoped Harkness wouldn't fail them.

Rose's sobs grew quieter and quieter, as she willed herself to stop crying. This wouldn't do, this crying and screaming, this would only make it harder on the Doctor. She knew what the Master was trying to do, he was trying to use her against the Doctor. It wouldn't do if she made it easier on him. She settled into his embrace, comfortable in his arms. If this were another situation, it might set her heart beating too fast for its own good, but at the moment, all she could think of was the pain still beating dully through her veins.

She closed her eyes, her own arms moving slowly to find his. "Thanks." She sighed, not really sure what she was thanking him for. Everything, she supposed. Without him here, she wouldn't have survived this.

"What do you think Jack is doing...?" Rose asked, voice still small and quiet.

"I'm not sure," he murmured softly, not sure if the Master was somehow listening in on them. The Doctor nuzzled gently again towards her ear and whispered: "But I'm sure he hasn't given up on us." He stifled a chuckle. "Jack's not afraid of dying."

"No he isn't." Rose agreed, voice still strained and scratchy from screaming. She shut her eyes, wishing she could simply sleep away the pain curled up like this in the Doctor's arms. And maybe she would even wake up in the TARDIS to find this all to be a horrible nightmare.

The time traveler cleared his throat and craned his neck back a little to try to look at Rose. "How badly are you hurt?"

Her heart swelled as the Doctor asked about how she felt. Cuddling closer to him, Rose sighed. "I'm fine, I'm fine." She wrote it off, not wanting him to worry, "I mean, it hurts, it still hurts really bad. But I'll be okay."

"D'you think you have any burns?" he kept on.

"I don't know," Rose murmured. Her body was singing in pain everywhere, she couldn't tell if anything was burned or just sore. She shifted slightly in the Doctor's arms, just to see how she felt, and she felt the fabric of her dress catch a raw patch of skin. "Ow..." She groaned, instantly regretting saying anything, "I think my stomach..."

The Doctor pulled back and grimaced. "Ah, well..." he blinked and slowly stood. "Can you sit upright for a moment? I may have something in my jacket that may help ease the pain."

"I suppose," Rose answered, using her weak arms to slide away from the Doctor and prop herself up. Sure enough, there was a rip in her dress and a burn beneath it, right where she had been hit. "On the bright side, maybe this dress is ruined," she added, trying to sound optimistic. "You really don't have to worry about me, Doctor..."

The Doctor flashed a sympathetic smile and he cautiously stepped away from Rose, moving to his trench coat that he had abandoned on one of the chairs.

"Ah, you know I can't keep from worrying about you humans," he replied, trying to lighten the mood. "Always getting yourselves in trouble." The Doctor looked over his shoulder, a broad grin now plastered to his face as he rummaged through the long-coat's pocket. He didn't feel particularly happy at the moment, but maybe if he acted that way it might brighten Rose's spirits.

"We just can't help ourselves." Rose smiled weakly. She watched him rustle through his bigger-on-the-inside pockets, fondly. Oh, the Doctor never did cease to amuse her.

After a few moments, he pulled out a vial of thick liquid, almost of a honey-like consistency, but far darker and more red-orange than gold. He scrounged in the pockets some more and pulled out a rolled piece of paper. Upon unrolling it, the Doctor's eyebrows flew up in surprise as he saw it was the Declaration of Independence.

"Ah! The rough draft. Hm...forgot I had that..."

Rolling it and stuffing it back into his pocket, he finally withdrew a roll of gauze. "There we go. Not quite at all Nanogene level, but this will have to do."

"Don't they need that?" she laughed lightly as he produced the Declaration of Independence. The laugh was short lived though, as it caused her pain. She smiled lightly as he pulled out the gauze.

The Doctor tilted his head back a little towards his coat. "What? That? No, that's just the rough draft...Tom, eh, Thomas Jefferson, he let me call 'im Tom...he threw that out after spilling an ink pot on the signatures," he answered. Another flicker of his brilliant smile crossed his face and he knelt at Rose's side once more, unraveling a strip of gauze.

"So basically you stole it." Rose commented, the most humor she could manage at this point. But it did seem about right, the Doctor lifting a failed copy of the American document.

"I wouldn't call it _stealing_, as such," the Doctor corrected. "I prefer...'preserving the past'."

"Won't have to worry too much about infection," he continued, slipping on his glasses and setting down the gauze, now looking at the vial of thick liquid. "This is Curotian medicine; offered it by the Curotians themselves after I saved their planet from falling into a sun. Soothes wounds and cleanses." He popped the lid off the vial and swiped his index finger across its lip and sniffed it. He gasped and pulled back his head. "Terribly, terribly strong scent, though. Ungh, a tad sticky too. _But_it's the best thing I have for now and it should do fine."

"Wish I could thank them," Rose said, referring to the Curotians. She was delighted to have anything to soothe the searing pain of the wound.

The Doctor looked up at Rose over his glasses, down at her torn outfit, then back up. He sniffed and paused for a moment. "Do you...well, would you rather do this yourself?"

At first, she didn't even pick up on his awkwardness, but, after a few moments, Rose got it, and her eyebrows lifted.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." She sat up further to reach for it, but was caught off guard by the sharp pain of the burn. Rose crumbled, curling her body in pain. "'M sorry. Don't think I can do it..."

The Doctor was sure he felt his ears growing warm. "Ah,well, alright, then." He stiffened and set the vial down before gently helping her back up. "Alright..."

He knew he should be doing something, but instead he just stared dumbly at her, at a loss, desperately trying to convince himself it was okay. _Oh just get it over with, you idiot,_ he thought to himself. _It's not that big of a deal._

"Just tell me if I'm hurting you," the Doctor finally said, gently taking the tear in her dress. He hesitated. What would she have him do? Tear it the rest of the way? Lift it? Now he was sure that he felt his ears redden. The latter certainly would be strange, then he thought of the gauze. He'd need to wrap it around her.

If Rose hadn't been in so much pain, she might have laughed at how awkward this was making the Doctor. She even found herself blushing a little bit because of the whole situation. "I don't think you can hurt me any more than the Master did." She reached out to squeeze the Doctor's hand lightly. "It's okay. It's a shirt, just lift it up." She looked away from him then, sighing, "I know you're just...treating me. All medical. Yeah."

The Doctor cleared his throat and forced himself to relax. "Right. Strictly medical."

Finally gathering the courage, he took the hem of her shirt and slowly began to lift it as carefully as he could. The corners of his lips tightened as he felt the slight tug of the cloth sticking to the burn. The wound underneath her white blouse was rather large and red. The Doctor knew that since she felt external pain that the burn couldn't be third-degree, but her second-degree burn was a bit worse than he had expected. Unless cared well for, there would definitely be blistering. The Time Lord rolled the top just a little at her chest to keep it up, just as awkwardly as ever keeping his eyes pointedly glued to the injury rather than...well, elsewhere.

It was a bit precious just how awkward the Doctor was about just a little bit of skin, but it did sting Rose just a bit. Of course he wouldn't want to look. Why would he be attracted to someone like her? She wasn't particularly clever and she didn't consider herself to be very beautiful. It was silly to think he'd ever be drawn to her like that. The thought made her cheeks burn for a moment in self-loathing.

As much as she would have liked it in any other situation, the Doctor's fingers were painful on her skin, pressing the medicine into the burn. But she bit down her pained whimpers, knowing that she didn't need to worry him.

He quickly dropped a bit of the liquid onto his hand and smeared it with his thumb before carefully rubbing it on the raw skin. It would have been better to wash his hands as well as to dab the burn with cool water first, but the Curotian people's medicine, the Doctor knew, was multi-purposeful and also served as a mild sterilizer. It was amazing what the people of Curotia had achieved as far as medicine went; nearly as amazing as the Time Lords'.

A few minutes went by and soon the burn was entirely covered in the red-orange goo. It didn't look pretty. In fact, it made the burn look worse, but it would help.

"How's that? Does it feel a bit better?" the Doctor asked. He was absentmindedly estimating the amount of gauze it would take to wrap around her. "Stings?"

Once he was done, there was a bit of numbness around her stomach. Of course, the wound looked horrifying, but it felt halfway decent. "It's not bad. Feels kinda numb," Rose replied, closing her eyes an leaning her head on the Doctor's shoulder. "Thank you."

The Doctor wiped his hands on his handkerchief and nodded. Her whimpers and agonized expressions while he was applying the medicine were expected, but all the same he hoped that he could have done it without hurting her.

"That's good," he replied, letting her lean on him. "I will have to apply more every few days when you come to visit me. And think nothing of it." He smiled. "Now, after you rest a bit, let me just wrap the gauze around you so it doesn't wipe off and we'll be done, alright?"

Rose nodded slowly, resting on the Doctor's shoulders. She took in a few deep breaths, her heart rate calming a bit. "I hope he doesn't make a habit of this," she muttered, referring to the Master. The Master was more of a fan of mental torment than physical torture. Though, this was all meant to be mental torment for the Doctor, not her.

"But it'll keep him from killing me," Rose said a little grimly. "As long as I have a purpose..."

The Doctor furrowed his brows and slipped his glasses back on. "You know I'll do all that's in my power to keep you safe," he mumbled, moving around to her back and wrapping the wide strips of gauze about her abdomen. "So far I guess I haven't done such a fantastic job."

His expression turned grave as he continued wrapping the gauze, being sure not to make it too tight. The Doctor was silent the rest of the time. Rose didn't deserve all this pain. But then how many other innocents had he dragged down with him?

_You're no better than the Master... _

The Doctor pursed his lips into a tight, thin line, pushing back the voice that haunted him into the recesses of his mind. _No. I'm far better than the Master. I don't kill innocent people._The Time Lord sighed and struggled to convince himself that his past was all justified, that he was blameless, but that nagging voice in the back of his mind knew better. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it would always return and he knew that it was more or less correct.

"Doctor..." Rose murmured, shaking her head softly. The last thing she wanted him to do was blame himself for this. "This is not your fault. Do you hear me?" She closed her eyes as he wrapped the gauze around her. "Don't you dare blame yourself for anything the Master does, okay?"

The Time Lord circled around to face her after tying the bandage and gently tugging her shirt down. He crouched, resting his hands on his knees. His expression was caring and sympathetic. The Doctor brushed back a strand of her hair from her face, cupping his hand on her face. "I got you into this mess. This fight with the Master...it's between him and I. Not you."

"Yeah, but I'm here. And anyone that's got a problem with you, has a problem with me." Rose offered a weak smile. The Doctor was everything to her, and she wanted to protect him just like he wanted to protect her.

The Doctor chuckled quietly and his eyes glanced briefly at her full lips. The Doctor had often thought about kissing her, what it would feel like. He'd kissed other girls before, or rather, they kissed him. Even Rose had kissed him, but he learned shortly after that it was because Cassandra had been controlling her.

_What a weird day that had been in New New York._

Admittedly, the Doctor had liked the kiss despite the fact Cassandra was directing Rose's body, but he wondered if it would feel any different, being kissed by the real Rose simply because he wanted to. Not because she started it or because it was needed to save her life. If he would just lean in a little...

_No. _

The Doctor blinked and his eyes flashed back up to meet hers. Why would she want a kiss from him? It was a sign of human affection, of love, not the friendship they shared. It symbolized something more. Something he knew she couldn't possibly feel for him. He loved her, loved her more than any other woman he had ever met in all of his regenerations, but he was sure Rose didn't reciprocate those feelings.

A moment of silence passed between them, and even in Rose's pain-addled and scrambled mind, she felt something odd in his stare. What was he doing? Looking at her like that...it was like she could sense..._No. That's insane. The Doctor didn't see me like that. _

"It's not your fault, Doctor. It isn't..." Her voice was fainter, but now for different reasons.

The Gallifreyan now looked worried, noting the change in her tone. Sadness? The Doctor slid his hand from her cheek to her shoulder. "Are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't talk, then? You need to rest." The Doctor shifted again until he was by her side. "Come here," he offered gently, trying to sound brighter, wrapping his arms around her. "Let's not worry ourselves right now, eh?"

Just like that, the spell was broken. Whatever the Doctor had been thinking, it was gone. Rose felt tears prick at her eyes, but she swallowed them back. Why did she wish this opportunity hadn't slipped away? But whatever it was, it was gone now.

She settled into his arms as he opened them to her, closing her eyes. "We can just sit here and pretend everything's fine," Rose choked, curling happily into his arms. "Thank you...for everything. I don't regret any of it. Never." In her haze, she felt like he should know that. How important he was to her.

The Doctor smiled. In spite of everything, Rose had always somehow made him feel better. It was always her who had helped him forget his past even for a little while. The Doctor hoped he could bring her some comfort. She had comforted him so many times on their journeys, even late at night when he'd scream and agonize in his sleep; fighting the demons of his past and the fear that still haunted him from the Great Time War in his nightmares. He owed her this much and far more.

The Doctor heaved a sigh and responded by kissing her head. _I love you so much, Rose Tyler, _he thought wistfully, relishing in the warmth of her close to him. _I wish I could tell you that. _

"Just going to take a quick nap..." she practically whispered, pain numbed by a combination of his warmth and the medicine. The first time she had felt remotely comfortable on the floating airship was right now, in the Doctor's arms.

His smile widened and he looked fondly down at Rose, huddled close to him. The Master could take their pride, he could take their dignity, he could take just about everything from them, but he could never take their love for each other or the peace they felt alongside one another.

The Doctor smoothed down her hair and watched as her breathing slowed as she grew drowsy. This was a wonderful kind of serenity and he almost wished they could stay like this forever.

"Take as long as you need."


	5. Peace and Trouble

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Easily, Rose slipped off to sleep cuddled up next to the Doctor. Her sleep was dreamless, just blissful and necessary repose after the painful torture her body had just been forced through. One would think that she would be wracked with nightmares after such an ordeal, but not here. Not in the Doctor's arms.<br>Just as Rose slipped off to sleep, two guards entered the room with a white cloth and various other parcels. They gave a quick look to the Doctor and the sleeping girl in his arms, before setting to their task. They pitched up an awful, makeshift tent. The Doctor's new home; barely stable and lined with straw like he was some sort of animal.

Curiously the Gallifreyan watched as they prepared what he suspected was the Master's "surprise" for him and the Master expected him to sleep in it. Frustrated, the Doctor looked away. "Mr. Saxon" was really trying to put them both through as much humiliation as he could.  
><em>At least it might be better than sleeping on a bare floor,<em> he thought in false optimism. He glanced back at the tent and noticed that it was a bit short. The Doctor's current regeneration was rather tall, not to mention skinny. He doubted he'd be able to fit very comfortably. _Treating me like your pet, then, Master?_

Finally, the guards finished creating the silly little tent. They looked at the Time Lord cradling the human girl with something akin to pity in their eyes. Of course, neither of them wanted to be doing this job either. The Master had their families. They had no choice.

"The Master says he hopes you enjoy your surprise," one of the guards said, grimacing as he spoke, just following orders. "And he says that she," he pointed to Rose, "can stay with you tonight, but he'll come for her first thing in the morning. No matter how she feels."

It looked like the guard wanted to apologize for a moment, but then thought better of it. The Master was always watching. Instead, he turned on his heel and followed the rest out of the room.

Rose stirred in the Doctor's arms, roused by the noises. "What was that?" She murmured, almost inaudibly.

"Ah, Rose...sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. It was just a few guards," he answered, looking down at her. He brushed her hair back again lovingly. "They...brought me a little 'gift' from the Master. They said he would allow you to stay with me tonight, but that he'd be back for you in the morning. How are you feeling?"

"A 'gift'?" Rose questioned wearily. That didn't sound promising at all. Any gift from the Master would not be pleasant. "I feel alright. A bit tingly...kind of numb. Doesn't hurt much any more. That's good."

He gave her shoulder a little squeeze. "Brilliant. The medicine is working then. It should be almost completely healed in a few days if you keep applying the salve."

Rose shifted a little to look up at him, curious. "What kind of gift did the Master bring you?"

"Ohhh," the Doctor breathed tiredly, glancing back towards the tent, "just a little personal 'suite' for me to sleep in."

She took a glance behind them to see what it was the Doctor was talking about. Catching sight of the tent, Rose groaned audibly. "He can't be serious..." The Master really wanted to strip them of all their dignity. "So I'm his maid and you're his pet..." She sighed, hiding her face against his neck.

"Looks like it," he snorted indignantly, looking back at the tent once more.

"So, we've got the whole night to ourselves, yeah?" she asked, breaking the silence. "We can just pretend we're on the TARDIS and none of this is happening, I guess."

The Doctor closed his eyes and grinned. "Ahh, yeah. Not too hard to imagine, eh? The TARDIS sending us off coarse like it sometimes does." The Time Lord chuckled. "Remember that one time when it took us back to Thomas Edison's house in the middle of the night? We scared the poor bloke so badly then."

As the reminiscing began, Rose relaxed into the Doctor's chest, sighing. It was easy to lose herself in his voice and their memories, like none of this was happening.

"Oh yeah, the poor bloke..." she laughed lightly. "He was so surprised. But, it's not like he would ever have made the right adjustments to that light bulb of his if you hadn't been there poking at it. I feel like you invent all of the important things in history..." Only kidding of course.

The Doctor snorted back another laugh of embarrassment. "Oh come on, then, I'm sure he would've figured it out on his own," he answered. "But I think we can give ourselves some credit." He grinned.

Thomas Edison, as some know, had a terrible fear of the dark. When the Doctor and Rose and accidentally transported to Menlo Park, New Jersey, they had also discovered the reason Edison had been so terrified of the dark...aliens that fed off people's fears. By sheer luck, Rose had curiously discovered that they weakened and dissipated in bright light by opening the TARDIS door. None of the candles at that time period could ever emit such a light and poor Edison's home was infested with the creatures.

That was when Edison decided to invent the light bulb. It had all, like so many things in history, had something to do with the Doctor and one of his companion's meddling with time.

"Oh come now, Doctor, there's no way Edison would have come up with that without you."

"Ah, no, I think we have you to thank for most of that. If you hadn't opened the TARDIS door and taken care of those aliens, I'm sure neither me, nor the light bulb, nor Thomas Edison would still be around!" He absentmindedly rested his chin lightly on her head, eyes now open. "You were brilliant."

Rose blushed slightly at his compliment, looking up as best as she could. That ridiculous hair of his was just barely in her vision. It oddly brought her comfort, just seeing that young, brilliant hair again.

"Thanks. I occasionally have my moments. Someone's got to take the spotlight from you every once in a while."

The Doctor laughed again. "Yeh, got to keep an eye on you. You may end up not just stealing my spotlight, but my entire 'job' saving the world. Then what would I do? I'd be bored out of my wits! Might even end up a raving madman myself."

This time, Rose laughed too, the numbing agent on her stomach keeping her burn from causing her pain as she chuckled. "You know, Doctor, I don't think I would be half as good without you. The Doctor and Rose just has a ring to it. I don't think I'd be nearly as capable on my own."

Of course, they were jesting, but her statements lived in truth. She wouldn't be half the person she was without the Doctor's help.  
>He hugged her and joined in again with laughter. If the Master were watching or could hear them, the Doctor was sure they were giving the Time Lord quite a bit to puzzle over.<p>

"It does, doesn't it? The Doctor and Rose. My Rose Tyler!" He looked down at her, his never-quite-so-neat brown hair just barely falling in front of his eyes. "As for you not being capable on your own, who do you think that I have to thank for looking after me Chistmas day when my regeneration didn't quite go as planned?" He playfully tapped her nose. "You."

How he adored Rose. At times like this his hearts felt like they could explode with love for her. In all his many many years, the Doctor never could have guessed that a human girl could ever have him wrapped so tightly around her finger.

"Your Rose Tyler," Rose repeated, almost under her breath. If only he knew just how true that statement was.  
>She grinned brightly as his finger tapped her nose, eyes closing for just a second.<p>

"Well, I didn't say completely incapable. I just said not _nearly_ as capable," she reminded him with a wink, "You weren't nearly as complimentary after the fact. I believe the words 'fat lot of good you were' come to mind." She was teasing, a cheeky grin on her face, with her tongue poking just slightly out between her teeth. "All I did was put you in some jim-jams and beg you to wake up!"

The Doctor looked puzzled. "Did I say that?" he asked, voice squeaking. "Huh. I hardly remember. That was still while my body was reconstructing itself, I'm sure." He paused for a moment and shifted to get a better look at Rose, brows knit together in confusion.

Rose had to try her best not to laugh at the puzzled expression on the Doctor's face. As if he could hardly imagine saying anything like that. "You did. I remember it."

"Am I still that rude?"

"No." Rose shook her head, trying to remember a time when the Doctor had been rude like that to her again. Well, there had been the thing where he rushed off after a French woman and left her stranded and about to be dissected by aliens...but that wasn't rude so much as, well, telling. It had told her a lot.

"No, you've never been that rude. At least not to me," she finally replied, quieter now.

"Huh," the Doctor repeated, perplexed. He looked in front of them, seeming to think it over. "Well. Be sure to give me a good scolding if I do that again."

"Oh believe me, I won't let you get away with it again," she said softly, still looking at his face, almost studying it. It was a few more moments before she spoke up again.  
>"What are you thinking about, Doctor?"<p>

"Hm?" He looked down at her, still puzzled as if he hadn't heard. "Oh. Ah, I was just trying to remember me...well, I mean, my past generations." The Doctor smirked. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to never change. It's been good fun, most of the time, always a surprise since I never know what I'm going to look like next..." His smirk faded and he looked almost solemn. "...But sometimes I just get tired of dying, you know?"

"Reminiscing about yourself then." Rose smiled, "Well, yourselves..."

Sometimes she did that too. About the old Doctor. Her first Doctor. All ears and a silly smile. Leather jacket. Tons of insults. Frustrating as he had been sometimes, she missed him. Sometimes it was hard to believe this grinny, manic creature before her was the same exact man.

"I understand," she said, before realizing that no, she didn't. She had no bloody idea what it felt like to die, and would never know what it felt like to come back as someone completely different. "Well, I mean I don't. I'll never actually understand..." Short human life and all that. Just a blip on the radar compared to the Doctor. "But I can imagine. I imagine it can never be pleasant. Dying and not knowing what you'll be like next. If you'll even like the same things, want to do anything you've always wanted to do... I don't know how you do it. Wouldn't want to trade me. I'm used to being myself..." Rose was rambling, so she stopped herself, biting her lip.

The Doctor's brow shot up. "No...dying isn't something I particularly enjoy. Never know if I'll come back with two heads or, oh, I dunno, six arms? But that's not so much why I get tired of dying and coming back," He hesitated, looking up and down her face as if trying to commit it to memory, as if he hadn't the very first time he met her. "It's mostly because when I do, I don't know what my companions will think of me. I don't normally tell them about my regeneration process unless I have to...it scares them. I guess I sort of scared you then too, yeah?"

His mind traveled back when he had sacrificed himself in his fifth regeneration to save his former companion, Peri, the girl, like Rose, was terrified by his transformation and would not believe he was the Doctor. Paranoid and abound with personality as well as mental issues, he attempted to kill his companion during his sixth regeneration. The Doctor cringed. He particularly hated that regeneration; that bitter, confused, and extremely self-loving him ridden in paranoia. He hadn't expected to be like that when his fifth life died away. He hadn't expected to try to kill Peri. The thought of turning into something like that again, or something even worse, when he died and hurting someone innocent terrified him.

As amusing as the image of the Doctor with multiple heads or six arms was, Rose couldn't bring herself to laugh. It's what he had to say next that bothered her, kept her quiet for a few moments. First of all...Companions...in the plural.

Rose wasn't thick, she had always known she wasn't the first person the Doctor had traveled with, at least since she had found out he was in his tenth life. There had to be hundreds of others that he had smiled at the way he smiled at her, hundreds of humans he'd hugged close, told them they were brilliant. Eventually there would be a new woman at his side, needing him the way Rose did. And Rose, well she would be a long-forgotten silent memory.

It shouldn't bother her. But it always did, just a little bit. Then, of course, the touchy subject of his regeneration. It was something they had always tiptoed around, never fully discussed. Just moved on and forward, like they did with most things.

Something about Rose's change of expression and her silence chilled the Doctor and suddenly he realized that he had done it again, gone and said something he shouldn't have. Why did humans always have to be...so unpredictable?

"Yeah..." his voice trailed and he looked away. "I suppose I should have told you about my regeneration. I'm sorry for frightening you. I don't think you have to worry about me changing anytime soon though. I don't plan on regenerating for quite some time. I rather like this one." He attempted to laugh.

"I like this one, too," she pointed out, without realizing what it was she had said. Hopefully he wouldn't read too much into that one. "I'm uh...used to you this way, you know. Don't want to have to meet a new you again..." She tried to qualify her statement, looking down.

The Doctor's brow shot up. He grinned. Rose liked this regeneration? "Yeah, I feel the same. I don't plan on going yet. Especially not if you'll still want to have me around after all this."

She looked back up at him, a slightly shocked expression on her face. "Of course I'll want to have you around, Doctor," she said, as if it were painfully obvious. "What a ridiculous thing to say."

His smile wavered a little. Rose had often said that she wouldn't leave him, but he knew how it always went. How many of his companions had said that?

"Ahh, it's not so ridiculous," he answered, tugging at his ear, an odd little tick this regeneration had picked up. "You'll probably find someone on one of our journeys and want to settle down sometime." The Doctor attempted a weak laugh. "Y'know, get tired of gallivanting about the universe with an old man like me."

He locked eyes with her again and smiled a bit sadly. "Besides, you're..." He stopped quickly. The Doctor had almost told her that she was too beautiful to live alone, that he was sure that any man would be happy to live by her side. But he couldn't say it. The Doctor felt that there at first happy conversation was growing tense, he didn't want to make it worse. If he told her that, Rose might think he was in love with her...

_Well, I am, aren't I?_ he scolded himself. _But that could never happen. Even if she did love me, I don't think I could make her happy. Not like that. She'd have to get used to her husband changing every few years or so, not knowing what he'd be or...or whether he'd still love her._

Oh, if only the Doctor knew what Rose really did think of this regeneration of his. The things his pretty boy body did to her, the things she thought about when she looked at him... Well, she couldn't even talk about it in polite company. But to Rose Tyler, the Doctor was more than simply attractive.

She frowned too as his grin slipped away. What could cause him to need to frown like that? For a moment she was worried, but then she nearly laughed as he suggested that she might find someone to settle down with. It was another moment when she was reminded of how painfully oblivious the Doctor was.

Through Mickey, and then that Adam, and even Jack Harkness...how could he think she would ever settle down when she kept turning her back to choose traveling with him in the TARDIS over every one of them? No man would ever compare to the Doctor. Rose supposed she had ruined herself in that regard. Doomed to fawn over the Doctor for the rest of eternity. All the same, it still beat her dreary life back on Earth.

"Settle down? Me? Nah." She shook her head, resolutely, laughing as if it really weren't an important decision."I don't think I can ever adjust to having my feet firmly on the ground again."

_Or being away from you..._

She was, however, curious as to why he trailed off. What had he meant to say. "I'm what, Doctor?" she asked curiously, eyebrows raised.

"You...you're..." His brain suddenly didn't seem to work. He had hoped Rose hadn't heard that last part, but now he had to make an excuse. The Doctor looked a bit uncomfortable, fidgety even as he blubbered around for words. "...well, you're a human. Don't most humans enjoy domestic life? Houses, and lawns, and children..."  
>The Doctor suddenly felt his ears burning again. Well, that didn't exactly come out right. How is it that he could face Cybermen, the Master, even Daleks, but trying to hide how he felt about her made him go haywire?<p>

"Not that not wanting a house and...a lawn...and children is bad," he continued clumsily. The Doctor frowned and decided that wasn't working. "_Anyway_, I'm very happy to have you as long as you'll stay." There was that flicker of an awkward, toothy grin.

He could've kicked himself.

"Yeah, I am," Rose agreed absently, knowing that her decision to stick with the Doctor wasn't exactly about the traveling. That's what it had been at first, of course, about seeing all of time and space and escaping her dull little London life, but now it was more about the madman than his little blue box. She'd be happy with anything, as long as the Doctor was there. _A house, a lawn, and children...? _ Well, they would all seem rather pointless without him.

"I mean, yeah, most humans do...but, it wasn't ever something I dreamed about. I thought, if it happened, that'd be nice but...if it never did, that'd be fine too." She reached up to brush her hand through her tangled hair, smiling at the Doctor.

Relief washed over the Time Lord as she didn't question him any further and slowly his uneasiness ebbed away. "Thanks." He hugged her again and held her for a moment. He didn't want to let go. The Doctor added quietly, "I really would be a mess without you."

"Don't need to thank me," she mumbled into his shoulder, smiling. Of course, the Doctor must have been exaggerating. He had come so far from the haunted man she had first met, she had a feeling he could actually survive on his own now. "I think you'd be fine... You're stronger than you look." Rose smiled, still not releasing him. "Me on the other hand..."

"You? I've not met a stronger woman on this planet!" he exclaimed. "Well, there's your mum. She's strong. In more ways than one. But she's a bit brutal." The Doctor was mostly teasing. Though, he hadn't quite expected such a strong slap from Mrs. Tyler when she tried to defend her daughter.

Rose laughed lightly as he mentioned her mother, pulling away from him just enough to look him in the eye. "Well, you did essentially kidnap her only daughter for an entire year. And told her off when she first tried to hit on you. That's enough to get her out for blood, I think."

"I guess spiriting you away without telling your mum was a bad move on my part," he conceded. "But I didn't know it had been a whole year in her present." The Doctor smirked a bit mischievously. "Guess I did deserve it though."

He followed her gaze out to the window. The sky was dazzled in streaks of red, orange, and faint pinks. The Doctor couldn't help but smile. The red hues the sky turned during earth's sunsets were so much like the natural sky of Gallifrey. Except Gallifrey didn't have pinks in its sky. Pink. That color embodied Rose so well. It was soft, warm, cheery... Maybe Gallifrey would have been okay, if it had had Rose. The Doctor had always been fond of humans, often learning from them, but Rose had taught him so much and had made him love humans even more than he had before. The rest of the Time Lords seemed apathetic when it came to the human race. He couldn't help but wonder if their decisions as well as fate could have been changed if they had known a human like Rose. She had changed him. Changed him for the better.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is pretty." She murmured. A silence fell, as Rose wasn't willing to break the tranquility brought on by the setting sun. It was a pity that the sunset looked so gorgeous, so serene. It was such a lie.

"Doctor, people are dying down there...the Master's destroying the Earth," Rose spoke up softly, "and we're just sitting here."

"Hn, and enjoying a sunset, no less," he grunted, though he wasn't accusing. The Doctor scratched the back of his neck and ran it up through his mess of hair. For once, he wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of being killed or even torture. He figured he could handle that. He'd died plenty of times and torture...well, Time Lords weren't a very "breakable" species. Not unless the tormentor knew exactly what made them tick. For the Doctor, it had become Rose Tyler. And he feared what the Master might to do her if he tried anything. Rose was right though. They weren't gaining anything by sitting around and there wasn't a one hundred percent guarantee that Jack was returning for them.

"There's not much we can do, Rose." The Doctor, trying the same cover-up as before, rested his chin lightly on her shoulder and turned his face just a tad towards her neck. "But I'm willing to do something, if you are."

The idea of whispering to her while being "comforted" probably wouldn't work too many more times. The Master wasn't dumb. If he continued using this method to speak secretly to her, he was certain that the Master would become wise of it. If only the Doctor knew how the man kept them under surveillance...

"I am." She whispered back to him, "But what can we do? The Master's always watching us. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me," he whispered, pressing his face into her shoulder. "I will be fine. The Master won't kill me, I'm almost certain. He may hate me, but I don't think he wants to destroy the last of his kind. Do you know where the Master watches us from?"

"I know he has a surveillance room," she whispered, holding him close and stroking his hair, pretending to comfort him. "But I can't see the cameras in here..."

"Hm..." His eyes then lit up and he had to struggle holding back the little quiver of hope that jolted through his body. "Wait. Wait. While you were gone, one of the guards took my sonic. If I could just get it back and make a few adjustments, I might be able to short circuit not only his surveillance room but maybe some other parts of the ship's inter-workings."

She turned her head into the Doctor's shoulder to hide her smile as he began to concoct a plan. "I can get it back I think if the guard still has it. If not I can find out where the Master put it. I see more of the ship than you do."

"Brilliant," he breathed. He was smiling too, face obscured by her hair. "Just be very careful. Promise me you won't try to get it if it turns out to be too risky."

"I promise," Rose whispered, nodding lightly. But, she knew she would do just about all she could to make sure this happened. If it was the only thing they could do, she would make sure it was done. "I'll try to do it tomorrow. Maybe the Master will leave me alone long enough."

"Thank you," he whispered back. On impulse, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. The Doctor didn't care if she didn't love him like he did her, it was the best way he could think of to thank her with for now.

Rose couldn't help the sharp intake of breath when he kissed her cheek. It wouldn't take much, just a slight turn of her head...all she needed to do to get a kiss from him.

_No. No. No._

What was she thinking?

"What do you say we get some rest then?" the Doctor asked with a sigh, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Of course." She said quietly, still stunned. After a moment she spoke up again. "Yeah... We should... Are we both going to fit in that thing?" She motioned to the tent. Not as if she really wanted to sleep there anyway.

A goofy grin spread across his face. "I'm not sure I'd fit in there by myself!" The Doctor stood, stretching, back popping as he did so." He looked around. Nothing in the wood, glass, and metal room looked very comfortable as far as sleeping went. The Doctor unbuttoned his pinstripe jacket and laid it on the floor, spreading it out the best he could. Grabbing some straw that was scattered about the tent, he set it on the inside of the jacket, rebuttoned it, and tied the sleeves together.

"There. A pillow," he muttered, holding back a laugh. He wasn't sure if he actually found the pathetic so-called pillow funny or if he was simply just too tired to think clearly. "That should keep you a little more comfortable, yeah?"

Leave it to the Doctor to sacrifice his good looks for her comfort. Rose laughed too, finding it just as amusing. They must be terribly tired.  
>"Well, you could use it if you wanted..." She started awkwardly. She didn't want the Doctor to be uncomfortable all night. "I could uh... Use you as my pillow. Y-you know. If that's okay."<p>

"Oh. Alright," The Doctor sat back down as if the request was the most usual thing in the world. "If you're sure." He looked down at his slim frame. "I'm afraid I won't make the best of pillows."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Rose answered, suppressing a laugh and sitting back down beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder absently. As bony a pillow as the Doctor might be, Rose wanted to be close to him. Even if he didn't feel romantically about her, she didn't mind living in her fantasy.

"I hope he sleeps in tomorrow," the Doctor muttered, speaking about the Master, carefully leaning back onto his elbows.

"Hopefully he sleeps all day." She laughed lightly as she settled into his embrace, easing down onto floor with him. Rose turned on her side, her body melding against his and she laid her head on his chest.

The Doctor smiled at her and sighed. His mind was whirring even in his tiredness. If she could get his sonic screwdriver then they might just have a chance. Already the Doctor was trying to think of backup plans, but his mind was growing muddled. He stifled a yawn.

"Goodnight, Rose..."

"Good night, Doctor." Rose whispered.

The Doctor shifted ever so slightly and turned his head to look at her. _I wouldn't care if he slept for ten years..._ He wrapped an arm loosely around Rose. He could lay like this for eternity. It felt perfect.

It didn't take him long before he finally dozed off, head still turned her way, arm still about her. There would be no nightmares for the Doctor tonight.

Rose's forehead brushed his chin as she shifted, drawing herself even closer to him. It was blissful, being snuggled against her Doctor. She easily drifted off to sleep and she stayed asleep through the entire night, despite the hard and cold floor. All she needed was the Doctor's warmth.

Of course, however, she would have not slept as well had she know that the Master came in, and was sitting in a leather chair, watching them sleep in the morning.

The Doctor eventually stirred and blinked open his eyes sleepily, only to find someone he hoped not to see until evening sitting right in view. He hoped his sleep-blurred vision was only tricking him. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

"Have a nice sleep, Doctor?" the Master snickered, giving a glance to Rose. The girl was still fast asleep, curled up against the Doctor's side, with her cheek pressed to his chest. "Do you always get this up close and personal with your companions? Though I can't say I blame you, Doctor. She's a piece, this one."

"Oh give it a rest will you?" he sighed quietly, not wanting to wake Rose yet. He hadn't quite remembered the Master having so much gall in his previous incarnations.

"Touchy, aren't we? Don't want me looking at your companion, eh?" The Master laughed, eyes still sweeping over the sleeping girl. The Doctor was certainly protective over this one. It was so very interesting.

"How long have you been there?"

"Oh, about an hour," The Master leaned back in his chair. "You just looked so comfortable. I had to see for myself."

The Doctor grimaced. An _hour_? He sniffed and worked his jaw a bit. "So, how are things on high? World domination all it's cracked up to be?"

"Oh it's just perfect. I have my arch enemy under my thumb... It's absolutely fantastic." The Master spun around in the chair, laughing again.

The disturbance woke Rose. She stirred against the Doctor, looking sleepily up at the Time Lord. "'Morning..." She smiled, thinking that they were still alone and the noise was in her sleep.

The Doctor cleared his throat and nodded towards the Master. "Good morning, Rose...we've got a bit of company." He raised back up on his elbows now that she was awake.

Rose shot up. _The Master!_ She scrambled away from the Doctor, embarrassed and strangely violated.

"Good morning, Rose Tyler," the Master greeted in his overly-cheery voice. "You look just gorgeous when you're asleep."

"Leave her alone," he snapped, voice not quite yet raised. He was still irritated that not only had the Master awakened him, but he had watched them sleeping...though what made his blood boil the most was that he was sure that it had been more like ogling at Rose.

"Oh, Doctor. I don't think you have that power." He snickered, shaking his head, "I think we decided that she's mine..."

"I don't belong to anyone," Rose grumbled. "Now come on, leave us alone for at least a few minutes."

"Right," the Doctor added sarcastically, rubbing his left eye. "Not that I don't like seeing your beautiful face right after I wake up, but I haven't quite gotten enough sleep yet."

He knew he should bite his tongue a bit more, but he was once again furious with the Master. Claiming Rose as his own! He wanted to say a lot more, but he forced himself to have a little bit more patience. After all, the Doctor planned on giving the Master his just reward if their plan succeeded.

Rose smirked at the Doctor, loving the way he was treating the Master. He certainly deserved their cheek as much as they could get away with. "Right. Back to sleep then, Doctor?" Rose grinned, leaning on the Doctor.

"I don't think so, dear!" the Master singsonged, standing up. "You've got so much work ahead of you today."

"Doing what?" quipped the Doctor. He raised a brow.

"Oh...plenty of things." The Master winked. "Cleaning, preparing my meals... perhaps you can even feed me, that would be quite enjoyable. And of course I'll need someone to accompany me during my torture sessions."

Unconsciously, Rose moved closer to the Doctor, much to the Master's enjoyment. Or, at least, that's how it seemed by his laughter. The Doctor slid an arm around her shoulders. "And your wife doesn't mind that at all?"

"Oh, Lucy? I'm sure she's fine." He shrugged, as if he hadn't considered that. "Besides, she knows I like the company of young human blondes. They're all stupid apes. But, I suppose I'll take what I can get."

"Really?" The Doctor didn't look convinced. "I didn't think that you had really wanted to settle. Just not in our blood, hm? Poor Lucy, though. What do you suppose she would do if she found out?"

The Doctor wasn't entirely sure why he was even bothering to ask these questions, but something urged him on. He was curious to see if the Master had even an ounce of any compassion in his body. His wife Lucy seemed to be the only one who he were, at least in public, decent to.

The Master raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so curious, Doctor?" He shot back, before leaning comfortably in his chair. "I think maybe she'd cry. That would be nice. I always did like it when human women cry." He grinned.

"Bit of a sadist then. Don't know why she would put up with you," Rose mumbled, "because you can't possibly love her."

The Master tapped the side of his head and lazily swiveled back and forth in his chair. "I think you know exactly how she feels, Rose Tyler. From experience. The attraction of a Time Lord. So much for your human minds. You're always so enthralled."

The Doctor snorted, but he didn't have much room to argue. The humans who did know of them always seemed to be so curious; whether that led them to wanting to go with him or, in worst cases, experiment. That was one thing he loved about the human race. They had a boundless curiosity about the unknown.

"How many people are left on earth?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Hm, I'd say about two thirds. I do have to have some people to rule," the Master boasted. "What, Doctor? Does that come as a shock? Are you sad?"

The Doctor didn't answer. Only two thirds of the human population was alive. The amount of bloodshed was staggering.

"Why, you are, aren't you? Poor, poor Doctor...you care far too much for these worthless humans."

"At least I do care about something," he fired back, now standing to face him. "I care about all of my companions. However, you only see what few 'friends' you have as toys." His voice softened. He hated the Master, he was sure, but at the same time he cared for him. What had happened to his old friend?

"Care about what, Doctor? Humans? Honestly, it's pitiful. Remember the things we used to say about the human race back on Gallifrey? The way we used to laugh?"

"You're tragic."

"Tragic? Me?" The Master crowed in laughter. He snorted and narrowed his eyes at the other Time Lord. "No, I think that's you. Floating around time and space in your lonely TARDIS. The last of your kind, clinging to apes for comfort. And now you've deluded yourself into caring for them. You're the tragic one, Doctor. A shell of what the Time Lords used to be."

"The Time Lords were wrong, Master."

"The Time Lords were wrong?" The Master's eyebrows shot up. "That is something a renegade like you would say."

The Doctor just shook his head, ignoring his remark. "No, no, don't you see? We were all too high and mighty, boasting our intelligence and so-called superiority. We stood back from humans, we studied them, but remained as uninvolved as we could," he stated. The Doctor gestured towards Rose as he continued. "But our ancestors, they missed so much. We learned about their cultures, yeah, their history. But the Time Lords never learned about the _humans_ themselves."

"The Time Lords," the Doctor continued, "lived for millions of years, we were one of the oldest civilizations in the universe...but so was Earth. They've come out of so much, survived against plagues and disasters that most other species would have been killed by." He was smiling now. His love and admiration for the human race was beaming through his eyes. "They're resilient, strong...absolutely fantastic...we could have learned so much from them."

His rant only caused the Master to roll his eyes, but it made Rose beam. She loved the way the Doctor lit up when he was passionate about something.

"Your beautiful human race is down there burning and cowering. Still believe in them?" chuckled the Master.

"You underestimate them." Rose squeezed the Doctor's arm.

"I'm restoring the right order of the universe," the madman retorted calmly.

"Restoring the right order of the universe is hardly ripping a hole into the sky..."

"I'm purifying the world."

"It's murder."

"Murder? Hardly! I'm getting rid of filthy vermin," sneered the Master.

"You're as sick as ever," sighed the Doctor sadly, pity in his eyes.

"Oh, yes, I'm sick. And you want so badly to heal me, don't you, Doctor?" the Master queried softly, a smile breaking out on his face. "Your little Rose is blind. Her people are dying. They are submitting, not fighting back."

"You know you can change...it's not too late, Master."

"That's what you want isn't it? You want to help me." It was a statement, a cold snarl, not a question.

The Doctor raised a brow. "Master. We're the last ones. This. All of this killing...it's pointless," he replied. Why did it have to be his childhood friend? "I'm asking you once more. Please. Stop."

"It hurts you, doesn't it? Then it has a point." The Master pouted, standing from his seat. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes and he regarded the Time Lord before him.

"I don't want your help, Doctor. You can't fix everyone, least of all me," he hissed darkly, stepping closer to the pair, before smiling. "No matter how hard you try, I'll always be the one thing you can't heal."

The Doctor met his gaze evenly. "Then, old friend," he replied quietly. "I wish things could be different."

"You were always that way. You'll get nowhere wishing. You have to _do_." The Master shook his head. "Well, I've got loads to do with my day..." He turned on his heel, stalking out. "Come along, Rose."

The human in question did not budge, still holding tightly to the Doctor's arm. She was not willing to leave him, especially with all the pain the Master had tried to cause. He stopped, turning to glare at her. "Have you forgotten our agreement, Rose?"

The Doctor reluctantly turned and took her shoulders. "Go on, Rose. Do as he says," he murmured.

Taking a deep breath, Rose drew the Doctor into a quick hug, taking some strength from his presence. "I'll be back," she murmured, before following the Master.  
>"How touching." The Master rolled his eyes, before placing his hand on the small of Rose's back to lead her out.<p>

The Doctor watched them leave and suddenly felt very lost. He silently prayed that Rose would be able to set their plan into action without getting hurt. Stuffing a hand in his pocket, the Doctor spun the Master's leather chair with his other and looked around the room, searching for any signs of cameras.  
>His mind whirred as he began thinking of a backup plan...<p>

Nearly the whole day went by without anyone paying a visit to the conference room where the Doctor was imprisoned. The hours seemed to pass agonizingly slow for him. After all his traveling alone, he thought he could take being away from Rose for a few hours, but that didn't seem to be the case. The Doctor simply couldn't stop thinking about her and worrying; wondering what she was doing. Finally, just as the sun was going down again, someone entered, whistling a tune. The Master danced in, to the jaunty tune he was making, spinning around himself before smiling at the Doctor.

"Hello, there, Doctor. What have you done with yourself today?" He asked cheerily.

"Mm? Oh, the usual. Just thinking," the Time Lord answered, lost in his own thoughts and gazing out the window. "Talking to myself. Listening to the TARDIS. She's rather cross with you, you know. And I'm not in the best of mood either."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, Doctor dear," the Master tutted with a cruel smirk. "Can't have that." As if he were one to talk, the real, honest madman in the room. "As your poor TARDIS, the old girl loves me. I think she might have even missed me. Must be lonely for her, trapped with only you for company."

The Master snickered and gave his old friend a wink as he plopped himself down into chair. "You're such a depressing person to be around. Always moping about, sobbing over your lost companions..." He watched for the Doctor to flinch, show some sign of remorse, but to the madman's disappointment, the Doctor continued to look out the window as if he hadn't even heard. The Master sighed, running a thumb across his lips as he watched the other Time Lord. Well, this wasn't nearly as entertaining as he had hoped.

"What's got you down, Doctor? It can't be that bad being trapped here."

"What's gotten me down?" The Doctor sounded surprised. "Could it possibly be that you've enslaved the earth? Or, I don't know, killing innocents?"

"Oh, that's nothing." The Master shrugged, as if it really were no big deal. "Just wait. It's going to get even better around here."  
>The Doctor ran a finger across the top of one of the chairs as he spoke, sounding amazingly calm, "This scheme of yours must've taken years of planning. I'll admit, quite clever of you, too. Weaseling your way into position as Prime Minister. Strange I hadn't noticed. Suppose I should watch more of the telly, eh?" He almost sounded light-hearted, but there was an obvious underlying bitterness.<p>

The Master smiled broadly, taking what the Doctor was saying as a compliment. "Oh yes, I can be extremely patient when I need to be. Took years here on earth to build up my credentials... Shame you missed all of it. Saw you here a few times, but I had to keep my head down. Couldn't have big-eared you recognizing me too early. But, I am here for a reason...I have a question for you."

"Go on."

"I've been a little curious about something. Your TARDIS seemed to be reeking of something strange, so I investigated with her..." He leaned his elbows on the table, looking curiously at the Doctor. "Something called...the Bad Wolf." The Master paused, searching his friend's face. "And she led me, interestingly enough, to Rose Tyler. I poked around in the girl's head a bit today, but I couldn't find anything of interest. I think your TARDIS was just trying to throw me off, but I need to know...what is this Bad Wolf?"

The Doctor looked up and stared at him for a moment, surprised. "Bad Wolf?" he echoed. He looked up as if to think and rolled his tongue around against his cheek. Clicking, he looked back at the Master and shrugged. "Not entirely sure. I've heard it mentioned...once...or twice, but I can't tell you much about it."

What he said was mostly true. He wasn't sure at all what Bad Wolf was; he assumed it were some sort of an entity, something living, possibly even a deity, if gods or goddesses existed, that spawned from the Vortex itself. The Doctor hadn't learned very much about it when it had possessed Rose after she looked into the Heart of the TARDIS. However, he was certain that whatever it was held great power. It did after all bring Jack back to life, destroyed the Daleks, and ultimately forced him into regenerating all in one sweep. It certainly wasn't something to take lightly.

Though if the Master thought he would reveal anything about Rose having become Bad Wolf at one point, the Time Lord had another thing coming to him.  
>"I'm sure the old girl was only fooling you," the Doctor continued. "I can't imagine she'd be very friendly towards you after you had her cannibalized into a paradox machine."<p>

The look of surprise on that had crossed the Doctor's face as soon as he had mentioned 'Bad Wolf' was all the Master needed. He was no fool, the Doctor knew something and he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"I think you're lying," the Master stated simply, still studying the Doctor. "See, because your TARDIS seems to think the Bad Wolf can save her, if she ever needed it. Seems odd for her to throw me off guard about something that could protect her." The Master leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table.

"And then there was your companion. Now, I mean, there was nothing useful in those memories of hers. No real knowledge, but there's an empty spot. A simple wash really. There's a good few hours of her life where Rose Tyler has no idea what happened to her." The Master grinned, brightly. "So tell me Doctor, do you always modify the memories of your companions? Or is this one just special."

"I didn't do anything to Rose," the Doctor answered honestly. Bad Wolf itself had taken care of erasing Rose's memories. "If you think there is a gap in her memory, it wasn't my doing."

The Doctor finally sat down and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "I can't tell you anything about this 'Bad Wolf'. Poor TARDIS, she probably isn't working properly. You did mess with her inter-machinery. Her cloister bell, as you probably can hear just as I can, has been going off ever since you stole her from me. She's sick and scared."

The Master listened, seemingly calmly, his hands laced together. "You know, Doctor, I really don't think you're being honest with me." He frowned, narrowing his eyes. "We both know your TARDIS is more resilient than that. She's not one for crying. But I love a good mystery. A nice, lovely game...and I'll investigate gladly. After all, I do have all of the tools for an investigation. I'm sure that your TARDIS and your companion won't mind invasive experiments, right? Maybe I could even spare a few for you, too. Oh yes, tearing into Rose Tyler's mind and your TARDIS' memory banks will be so much more fun than you simply telling me about it..."  
>The Doctor clenched his fist underneath the table, but held his composure. "You know what I said before, I wouldn't risk Rose's life by lying. Nor you harming the TARDIS any more."<p>

The cloister bell from the TARDIS rung in his ears, calling for him. In its high, melodic notes the words _Bad Wolf_ echoed in the Doctor's mind. _Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf..._ He began to wonder if it was truly the TARDIS breathing the phrase or if perhaps the Bad Wolf entity itself were getting involved once more.

"I never said I would I would kill her if you didn't answer me. And there's not much more I can do to harm your beloved TARDIS." The Master bore a devilish grin. "I can't kill your Rose now. She's too important. But I can make her suffer."

"Do I look like I'm lying to you?" queried the Doctor, glaring at him.

The Master leaned forward, looking him over, and laughed, "Every time you open your mouth to me it looks like you're lying!"

The Doctor raised his brows. "If Rose has a gap in her memory, there are high chances that you'll never recover whatever is missing," he said, growing irritated again. Honestly, the Master was like a child! A spoiled, bratty child in good need of a smacking...

"Why are you so curious?"

"Well, it'll still be fun." The Master shrugged. "It's good fun getting into a human's head. They struggle oh so hard, but they have no defenses. Poor things. But I did learn quite a bit. Ooh, if you knew the things that girl thought about you..." The Master wagged a finger at the puzzled Doctor before leaning back as far as he could in his chair. "It's quite pitiful, really. Anyway, I'm also curious because you're a threat. And so is this Bad Wolf. I don't like threats."

The Doctor felt his hearts skip a beat. Rose thought about him? What did she think? The temptation to ask was almost unbearable, but he held his tongue. It wasn't any of his business knowing what Rose thought about him or anything else really.

"Some things are not meant to be known, you know that." The Doctor brought his hands together and leaned forward. "Like I said, I don't know much about Bad Wolf. But whatever it is, I wouldn't try to tamper with it."

"You know me, Doctor. I have to know everything. Perhaps I can use this power if I can get the Bad Wolf to answer to me. Whatever it is."

The Master gave an exaggerated sigh and stood. "Well, you've been no help at all. Thanks," he scoffed.

"I'm warning you, Master," The Doctor's voice was still even, serious. "If you meddle in things your not meant to, you may bring about your own end. Bad Wolf may be dangerous. I'm telling you this as an old friend."

For a moment, the Master regarded the Doctor with some seriousness, but just as quickly as he looked contemplative, a manic grin spread over his face.

"That's the difference between us. I'm not afraid. I'll be glad to face whatever it takes to explore ultimate power." He chuckled and moved from the table. "You shouldn't expect your companion for a while. She'll be otherwise occupied for some time." The Master winked, laughing harder now. "I'll be sure to send her your way when I'm finished with her."

The Doctor flinched and stood. "What are you going to do with her?" he asked. "We had a deal, Master."

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on hurting her. Not on purpose any way. And I believe my only promise to you was that I wouldn't kill her and I would allow her access to you. I'm a man of my word, Doctor."

"What are you going to do with her?" the Doctor repeated. "You can't force her to open doors she doesn't want to be opened."

The Doctor knew that the Master had probably read her mind earlier by force and he didn't want him to do that again. Most humans couldn't take the mental stress of having their thoughts pried open without a side effect. Depending on how much they resisted, their suffering could be short or long term. Rose was strong-willed, but the Doctor worried that she would resist too much and end up damaging her mind.

"Oh, I won't do much, Doctor," the Master gave a false promise, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Just a bit more poking around, need to see what I can find if I look just a little deeper. Plus, the poor girl hasn't finished her work and she will have to be punished for that. She might not even be back to you until morning. You don't have to worry, Doctor, I'm taking very good care of your Rose. Who knows, she might not even need you after all of this." He grinned.

The words stung. The Doctor didn't like where this was going at all. "Let me see her."

The Master raised his eyebrows, clearly amused. "You are in no position to make demands. What are you going to do if I say no?"

The Doctor forced himself to take a breath. All the stress of being locked up in one place, along with failing the human race, and worrying over Rose was getting to him. This was what the Master wanted, wasn't it? It was no secret that the madman loved watching the Time Lord squirm and he was only fueling that sadistic need.  
>"You're making a mistake, Master. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."<p>

"Oh, really? Should I be afraid?" He leaned closer to the Doctor. "Should I fear the Oncoming Storm? Found that little gem in your Rose's head. You think far too highly of yourself. But I am not afraid of you, Doctor."

With one swift movement, the Doctor had grabbed him by the arm. The Master had no idea what he was getting into. Bad Wolf was power in its rawest form, a being that knew the future as well as the past and had the ability to destroy it all in one sweep. The Doctor levelly met the Master's eyes once more, desperately hoping the Master would heed his advice.

"It's not me you should be afraid of."

A gasp came from the Master as he was taken by the arm. He certainly hadn't expected this. Glaring at the Doctor, he wrenched his arm away from the other Time Lord.  
>"You should remember your place, Doctor." The Master growled, "You are a prisoner here. Don't forget that."<p>

He motioned to the guards, so that they could defend him against this man. "Now I'll be back to visit you later. Maybe I'll take a trip through your mind."

The Doctor watched as the Master left him again and stuffed his hands in his pockets. This wasn't good at all. A hundred worst case scenarios flashed through his mind. What if the Master did somehow find Bad Wolf still living in Rose and disturbed it? With the power Bad Wolf had, it could quite possibly destroy what was left of earth and its neighboring planets. They'd never stand a chance.

He stared at the door in front of him, now locked. If only he had his sonic. The Doctor wondered how Rose had come along finding it...not that it would matter much now if the Master was going to interrogate her.  
>"Be safe, Rose Tyler," he whispered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.<p> 


	6. Memories

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>True the the Master's promise, it wasn't until the late hours of the night that Rose Tyler came in, escorted by a guard. She didn't look horrible, just ragged and exhausted, with a wild look in her eyes. That subsided just a bit as she caught sight of the Doctor.<p>

"Doctor!" She exclaimed, breaking away from the guard to run to him, grabbing his coat as if she didn't really believe he was there. "The Master said..." The Master had lied to her, pure and simple. He had said he had harmed the Doctor. Obviously just to stress her out, to get her to open up to him about the Bad Wolf.

"Oh, Doctor, you're alright..." she murmured, with a heavy sigh of relief.

The Doctor was leaning against the wall, glasses on, messing with a bit of metal wire from the tent when Rose ran in. Taken off guard, he was surprised when she hugged him. He grinned and finally wrapped his arms around her in return, spinning her briefly. He was so glad to see her again and she looked unharmed. Maybe the Master hadn't done anything after all.

A squeak of surprise left Rose's lips as she was spun around, and she clung tightly to to the Doctor, not quite willing to let him go.  
>"Oi, of course I'm alright!" the Doctor piped happily. "Why wouldn't I be? Are you okay? Look a bit frazzled."<p>

"The Master told me he would hurt you... Because I wouldn't cooperate he said you would pay for it. I thought he might have..." She shook her head, pulling away from him then, "Never mind. You're fine. I was worried over nothing, I guess."

"Hurt me? Nah. Even if he had I would've been fine. I'm pretty resilient, you know," he answered with a wink, so so relieved she was okay. The Doctor lowered his voice and nodded, "On the contrary, he told me he was going to punish you. He didn't, did he?"

He looked her up and down. She appeared fine. No bruises or scrapes...she just looked tired.

Rose's eyebrows raised. "No... He didn't... Just went back through my memories again..." The human flinched at the thought of someone going through her thoughts. "But he didn't... Punish me. Threatened me a bit, got too close for comfort, but he didn't hurt me..." She bit her lip. "I think he might be trying to freak us out..."

So the Master hadn't been bluffing about going through her memories. The Doctor cringed. "Rose...did he...force you into letting him see some of your memories?"  
>She closed her eyes and nodded, before opening them again, sighing.<p>

"I tried, Doctor, really I did. I tried to keep him out, I tried to stop him but he just...I don't know how to explain it, it's like he just ripped through me..." She twisted a piece of hair in her hand. "I don't even know what he saw."

The Doctor nodded. That was what he had dreaded hearing. Most all Time Lords could read the minds of others, but this ability seemed to have been strictly designed to be used among their own kind. Gentle probing, as the Doctor had learned to use and never without permission, was the only way to look into a weaker species' mind without harming them.

"I know you won't want him to, but don't resist unless you really need to." The Doctor was sympathetic. It must be awful having someone look through every personal thought, every moment of your life, and forcing themselves on you. "He could badly hurt you if you do."

"Don't resist?" Rose's jaw dropped. She couldn't imagine allowing the Master access into her mind again, especially without fighting against him. The agony and the horror of knowing someone was poking through her most innermost thoughts... She couldn't let it happen again and she was shocked that the Doctor would suggest that she should.

"I can't. No," She shook her head, both of her hands grasped his, willing him to take her seriously even though she was denying his advice. "Can't you teach me how to defend myself against him? To keep him out?""

Pain flashed through the Doctor's eyes. "I know, I know, but if he tries too hard, he could..." he trailed off, thinking about her suggestion. He hadn't really thought about teaching her how to resist. In fact, the Doctor wasn't even sure if such a thing were possible. He had been worrying so much about what could happen, he hadn't even thought about whether or not she could prevent it.

"You want me to teach you?" He was surprised, but a grin had already begun to spread across his face. "No harm in trying. But we'll have to start slow, alright? I can't guarantee it will work either."

She smiled back at him, as the grin grew on his face. It would be good, right? Rose learning to defend herself mentally... She needed it, especially if the Master continued to get frustrated and delve deeper and deeper.

"Okay then." She nodded, beaming. "Start slow. That's fine. Anything is going to help, really. As long as I know some sort of way to keep myself safe. But..." Rose's cheer melted into apprehension. "...you said he could hurt me if I tried too hard. What do you mean?"

"Well...he could, in a sense, break your mind," the Doctor answered reluctantly. He took a breath and rolled a chair out for Rose and a second for him. "Now...I'm going to look into your memories. I want you to shut any doors to any thoughts or memories that you don't want me to see. Can you do that?"

"Break my mind?" Rose said weakly, honestly frightened by the notion of her mind being broken. She took a deep breath, sitting down in the chair across from the Doctor.

"Close the doors...?" She sucked in a breath, nodding. "Sure, I can try... Go for it." Rose closed her eyes, imagining a mental door shut over her.

The Doctor sat down and leaned forward, gently placing his fingers on different areas on her face and closed his eyes. "Alright, I'm just going to roam around a bit. Close a door to something unimportant. I don't know, a Saturday evening or something. I'm going to slowly try to open it, but I want you to resist."

"Okay." Rose murmured, concentrating. It was an easy enough memory to choose. The night after they returned from Victorian England and the werewolf had been particularly uneventful. Rose had persuaded the Doctor into spending the evening watching a movie with her. Altogether rather nice, but uneventful.

"Alright, give it a shot." She murmured, shutting a door over the memory.

"Alright." The Doctor moved closer to her face, concentrating. He visualized a long hallway of her mind, doors on all sides. Some were left wide open, mostly little childhood memories and lazy evenings doing nothing. Others he found quite a bit tighter shut than others, but he didn't bother them, just continued on until he reached the one he felt Rose leading him to.

"Okay, here it goes." He thought hard, trying gradually with a little more force to open it. "If you feel pain, tell me and I'll stop."

Having the Doctor in her mind was a completely different presence than having the Master in her mind. It was almost comforting, like he belonged in there, weirdly enough. She could feel him wandering through her mind, and she concentrated on her door, keeping it tightly shut. A sharp intake of breath passed her lips as she felt him trying to pry it open. She felt a pause in the Doctor's mental link.

"It's okay... Keep trying..." Her eyes were clenched in concentration.

The Doctor nodded and furrowed his brows. He concentrated a bit harder and the imaginary door began to give, cracking open ever so slightly. Fragments of her memories rushed into his mind. A teensy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked. "Concentrate a little more, you're letting it slip. Think more of keeping me out than the memory you're trying to close off."

Obviously the Doctor would recognize the memory, and she couldn't help but smile at his comment. But, then, she had to concentrate again. She reached out for his arm, clutching it. There was no pain, per say, but there was quite a bit of discomfort. It took a lot more effort for her to keep him out than it took him to get in, as she was a non-telepathic species.

"This is hard, Doctor..." she breathed, trying as hard as she could to keep the door shut, but she was having trouble.

"Okay," the Doctor lessened his concentration. "Let's try something else then."  
>He was genuinely surprised at how well she was doing. Perhaps he had underestimated the power of the human mind against a Time Lord's, which, to his embarrassment, was rather haughty of him.<p>

"This may be a bit easier and I doubt the Master would be expecting it," he commented, moving his finger placement. "Perhaps you should try thinking about one thing only. Anything at all. If you can think of one certain object or memory or person vividly enough, it will be harder for me to find those locked doors."

"Okay," Rose murmured. She was breathing heavily, her concentration getting the best of her. Rose thought of what she could focus on. What did she know well enough to hold her attention like that? What did she love enough?

"I'm sorry about this." Rose murmured, knowing there was only one choice. Only one memory she loved enough. She flooded her mind with memories of the Doctor, and everything they had done together. Memories of his smiles, their adventures, everything. She tried to flood him out, that being the only thing she focused on.

The Doctor's concentration wavered as images of none other than himself burst into his vision, filling every telepathic sense he had. It was quite odd really, seeing himself and hearing himself. For a moment it worked and the Doctor's presence, his telepathic presence, faded in his surprise.

"Why, Rose," he teased, "I'm flattered." He couldn't hold back a quiet, nervous chuckle.

"It's working isn't it?" Rose smiled cheekily.

Thinking a bit harder, the Doctor pushed through a few of the memories of him, mostly the older ones during his Nineth incarnation which weren't as clear anymore, but he kept finding himself getting stuck. If the noises weren't distracting enough, it was confusing seeing the same person everywhere; even more confusing that he was wearing the same thing in almost every memory.

_ Huh...maybe I should change my wardrobe every now and then, _the Doctor mused with a humorous smirk.

Snapping back into what he was doing, the Doctor concentrated even harder. Rose was doing well. She was slowing him down greatly, but she hadn't stopped him.

She could tell she was slowing him down, the Doctor was losing his focus. So, she clutched his arms, flooding her mind with vivid imagery. Her breath was coming faster again as her concentration peaked. "I can't do this much longer, Doctor."

"The Master won't stop, Rose. Not even if you beg," he urged, slowly increasing his concentration. The imaginary door was becoming slightly more visible as the images in front of him started to dim. "Keep thinking. Think of the strongest memory you have. Clear your mind of everything but that one memory."

The Doctor hated this. He hated hearing the desperation in her voice, her ragged breathing. He wasn't going to hurt her, but it obviously wasn't easy for her.  
>"Just a little more. You're doing well."<p>

Sucking in a strained breath, Rose concentrated harder, scrambling to find a strong memory. Finally, she found a memory. That time in 1950's England, when Rose had gotten her face and mind back. That look on the Doctor's face and the hug they shared. That moment of pure happiness.

"This is all I've got Doctor...the strongest...I can't..." She murmured, knowing she was no match against a Time Lord.

The vision of the door was overwhelmed by the memory once more and the Doctor finally eased his concentration and opened his eyes, setting his hands down between his knees.

"Well, you did extremely well," he answered. "Are you okay?"

"Thanks..." she breathed, "And yeah, I'm alright...a bit tired, but alright."

The Gallifreyan had to think of something else. Anything. He thought about the last time he had tried reading a human's mind. Madame Pompadour, otherwise known as Jeanne-Antionette Poisson. He leaned back and drummed the arm of the chair. It seemed that she had said something important to him during his visits...what was it?  
>Once the Doctor broke the link, Rose sighed in relief, slumping her forehead against his shoulder for a minute. It had taken a lot out of her, to concentrate so fully like that, quite a bit of mental strain. "Thanks...I'm okay, just a bit tired."<p>

Then, all of a sudden, the Doctor was exclaiming excitedly, "A door once opened!" he suddenly exclaimed. "A door once opened may be stepped through in either direction!"

"What? What do you mean?"

"You can, essentially, read either of our minds!" he went on, rather more exuberantly than he probably should. The Doctor had thought the Master was a child, but he was just as much of one. A highly distracted, over excited child...

"Oh ho, thank you Madame Pompadour!" The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear. With some effort, he quieted to a whisper: "If you can get into the Master's mind first, it may be enough to slow him down or stop him all together!"

It was a rather crazy idea. Perhaps the Doctor had gone mad after all, but anything to fight the Master was better than nothing at all.

A smile broke out on Rose Tyler's face as well. "Really? So I can just get into the Master's head?" Oh that was perfect. "Doctor, you're brilliant!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. Honestly, she could have kissed him, but she couldn't imagine why he was praising that French woman, who she wasn't particularly fond of. For all she knew, this was the Doctor's idea.

"Do you think you can? Will it make me strong enough to force him out of my mind and get into his?" Rose questioned.

"Presumably, yes," The Doctor leaned back enough to look her in the eyes. "You may be able to distract him long enough to go through his own. If all that works, then he'd have a killer of a time getting into your mind. But you'll have to be quick."

He was babbling again, words spilling out almost too fast to hear. He went rapidly on about how it all made sense and the logic of it working, hardly aware that Rose was unlikely to understand half of what he was saying. She just nodded and pretended to understand. Finally, when he had finished, the Doctor clapped his hands together.  
>"Do you want to try?"<p>

"Try?" She said, her nervousness betrayed, just a bit, "You mean... Try to get into your mind or try to receive some of your memories?"

He nodded. "Do you think you can? I will try to read your mind, but before I can open a door, I want you to go through my memories."  
>The Doctor placed a hand over Rose's. "I know you can do it."<p>

"I can try..." Rose nodded, offering a smile. It wasn't that she was afraid to try, especially when the Doctor was so safe and kind to her. She was just nervous. Her grin grew at his contact and his praise. That was all she needed.

The Doctor closed his eyes, being sure to quickly shut any doors to his mind that might frighten Rose, leaving only the memories of his childhood with the Master wide open. "I'm going to try to read your mind, but you've got to stop me and get into my head before I have the chance."

Again, his presence in her mind was distinctly foreign, but comforting. Though, she couldn't choose to focus on that. She could feel him making his way into the hallway of her mind, and she took a deep breath.

Gently at first, she began to nudge him backwards, closing the hallway off to him and visualizing one she might find in his head. Her efforts became bolder as she realized how well she was doing, or at least that she was being slightly successful.

The Doctor imagined that the Master would be a bit surprised at this so he didn't hold back, he let himself slip. In fact, he didn't even try to hold her back at all. When Madame Pompadour had read his mind, she had done so without him even noticing.

"Good..." he mumbled.

The Doctor let her easily go into his mind, at which Rose was just a bit surprised. Not that she might have been successful against any sort of restraint. His mental hallway was just a bit different than hers. It was longer and there was something old and timeless about it.

"I did it..." she murmured, approaching a door left open, peering in on a childhood memory of the Doctor and the Master. It was odd, seeing two children she could hardly recognize even though deep down she knew who they were. She retreated from the door, not wanting to pry too much.  
>"Give me something that's closed. I want to try and open it."<p>

The Doctor paused for a moment. Most of the doors which were closed were closed for a reason. He thought for a moment then reluctantly urged her to a door near the end of the hallway. It was shut tight and looked to be one of the older doors, that is, if imaginary doors could age.

The Doctor's voice then spoke gently to Rose telepathically, "Go on. Try to open it. But only that door." He knew he really should be leading her to the doors which were closed the tightest, but she had been known to surprise him in her strength and he didn't want her seeing what was behind some of them. The door he was leading her to was the least troublesome. "You don't have to look long, Rose."

His hesitation was present in his head, Rose could sense it throughout his mind. Well, it wasn't exactly overwhelming, but it was present there, just barely.  
>"Okay." Rose answered him, telepathically as well, "I don't want to pry, I promise Doctor. I just want to try this."<p>

Focusing on the door, she attempted to pull it open. Taking a deep breath, her fingers pressed tighter on his head, prying open the door. She could feel it give just a little, and she sighed in relief.

"I think I've got it!"

All the while the Doctor was attempting to get back into her head, believing that the Master would do the same. The door to his mind was weakening, but still refused to open entirely. Whispering voices leaked from the cracked door, fragments of memories.

The Doctor now realized that in such a position, even if only by a human, a Time Lord would be stuck. It was either force their own mind shut or risk being invaded while trying to pry the others. He grinned. The Master would have himself in quite a dilemma if this worked.

_Doctor...Doctor..._ the voices swirled around Rose, growing louder as the door slid open a little more. _...Grandfather...Doctor...Professor...Doctor...Doctor..._

It took a lot of concentration, to hold him out of her mind while she tried to invade his. But, she had the upper hand, being in his mind already, and so it was easier to set up a barrier to keep him out. She continued to pry open the door, but the voices surrounding her were distracting. Her eyes were clenched shut as she focused as hard as she possibly could.

_Come on, Rose, you're strong enough. You are not ordinary, you can do this._

And indeed she did, the door swung open, and she the memory exploded around her.

Instantly, the dark hallways of the Doctor's mind were filled with images of his past companions as well as enemies. Old, but vivid, they seemed real. A tall, slender girl with a bobbed hairstyle appeared to be looking at Rose, expression puzzled. "But, Grandfather," the image of the girl murmured, "why can't I?" The grainy, but refined voice of an older man spoke up, "Because they're different, Susan...now come back with me. I don't want you interacting too much with the humans."  
>The images flashed again and a loud scream pierced through the other memories. A young woman in blue and purple thrashed and fell unconscious, a dead man lay crumpled in an open closet, an accusing finger pointed at the Doctor, then an image of a Black Orchid. Other visions flashed in front of Rose, some happy and others brief images of a lost soul dying in what must have been the Doctor's arms. All the memories were beginning to grow jumbled, coming all too fast as if the Doctor hoped he could forget them, never letting one settle in his mind.<p>

Finally, they seemed to slow and faded to black. There was nothing. A thick wave of sadness, regret, and loneliness weighed down in the "room".

It took Rose off guard to be surrounded by the Doctor's memories like this. She hardly knew what was going on, surrounded by so many other faces, other forms of the Doctor, other companions.

"Doctor..." Rose murmured, feeling tears prick at her eyes. The pain and loss in his life nearly killed her. How could she ever hope to really be a part of this? With so many companions and so much love and loss in his life, why would he ever let let her in?

The memories became worse and more intense, then, all at once, there was nothing. Only a bone-crushing sadness. A thick, suffocating wave of regret and loneliness filled the room. Every one of the Doctor's emotions at the memory of those he lost pressed down on her; the pure torture of watching those he loved leave his life. Rose Tyler stared stunned into the darkness, vaguely aware that she was crying.

Slowly, another memory fragment began to come into view. The tormented feelings disappeared and the weight of sorrow lightened. Rose held back a little sob as she found herself staring directly at her own image.

"Doctor...that's...that's me." She shook her head, tears now streaming down her face.

"I-I'm sorry, Rose, I didn't mean for you to see all that," the Doctor said telepathically. "I tried to stop it."

The image of his beloved "pink and yellow" companion stood still. It was her as he first remembered her wearing a red and off-white jacket. Innocent. Curious. Smiling.

"No, Doctor, I'm sorry," Rose answered, staring at the version of herself across from her. When did she ever look so young? It had only been three years since that day, but Rose felt like she had aged a lifetime.

Quickly, she withdrew from the Doctor's mind, pulling her hands away from his head. She was still crying, and she looked down to hide it from him.  
>"I didn't mean to see all of that... I'm so sorry... I should have closed the door..."<p>

The Doctor was smiling a bit and he brushed away a few stray tears from her cheek. "It's okay, Rose. I just hope...it didn't scare you, did it?" His smile faded a bit, but his voice was still tinged in optimism, hoping to cheer her up. "Don't cry. I should've led you to another door."

He stared into her dark eyes, gleaming with tears. He had traveled so many long years with the weight of loss on his shoulders. While his guilt had never lessened, Rose had been the first to take almost all of that pain and sadness away. He couldn't stand to see her face soiled by those awful tears.

Rose couldn't help but smile sadly back at him as she felt his fingers brush her face. She looked back up to him, trying to quiet her tears.

"No, it didn't scare me...I just...I can't imagine. I mean, I know you've been traveling longer than I could ever have dreamed, and you've had all sorts of companions, but I never imagined that much loss and sadness."

What really killed her was that there was nothing she could do for him. One silly little human girl could not erase the damage done by years of heartbreak. How her Doctor still managed to smile and bounce around after all of that pain, it was simply amazing.

The Time Lord was silent for a moment, just looking at her. Finally he opened his mouth and looked down, searching for the right words.

"You...you get used to it after a while," the Doctor answered, "but that happens to everyone, yeah? You loose people you care about." He forced a little grin, almost laughing at his own cheesiness as he added, "Life's not a bed of roses, but I've at least got one. And that's enough for me."

"That's rich, Doctor, even from you." She grinned. At least it had brightened her mood just a little bit. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering longer than she probably should have.

"For what it's worth, you've always got me."

The Doctor grinned as she giggled. "Ah! There's a smile!" he exclaimed. He smiled and looked down as she kissed him, embarrassed. He'd been kissed before, quite often on the lips. It was nothing new. So why did he suddenly feel nervous around Rose? The Doctor nearly laughed. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way before until he met her. It was so strange, so very human of him.

Rose felt him tense under her touch and in turn felt her face become bright red. Of course this made him uncomfortable! It was probably awful for him, having such a display of affection from someone he only saw as a friend. After she had done that ridiculous thing of filling her head with him...

"I'm sorry," she apologized, out of her seat and halfway across the room in seconds flat. "I...that was uncalled for."

"Buh...n-no!" the Doctor stammered. "No, that's fine." He hurriedly moved towards her, wondering why she had walked away. Had he done something wrong? The Doctor leaned in smoothly and kissed her forehead in return. "You're perfect."

Rose's heart fluttered in surprise. Before she knew what she was doing, she was clutching his hand. If only he really meant those words...

"Thank you, Doctor, for all of this." She sighed, releasing his hand and stepping back. "Maybe I'll stand a chance against the Master."

"I know you will," the Doctor said, gently rubbing her hand with his thumb. His hearts ached to tell her how he felt, but now wasn't the time nor would it matter. His brows raised and he lowered his voice, "Did you manage to find my sonic?"

Almost imperceptibly, Rose nodded. "I know where it is. I overheard some of the guards talking when they thought I was unconscious." She leaned closer to the Doctor, to whisper as quietly as she could. "The thing is, it's in the Master's personal bedroom. I'm not really allowed in there, I don't think. But I can try. Maybe I can give him some reason to let me in there."

The Doctor's brows furrowed. The Master's room...that would be about the most inconvenient spot he could imagine. "Perhaps, but that sounds quite a bit more dangerous than I expected," he whispered. "I'm not sure. I don't want you getting hurt over me."

"But there's nothing else we can do, yeah?" Rose questioned, smiling weakly at the Doctor. There was nothing else they could do, and she didn't want to sit around and be idle. "I'm not scared. He's not gonna kill me right?"

"I guess not," he agreed painfully. The Doctor nodded and sighed. He didn't want to see Rose get hurt. The Master had done so much to her already. "Well, alright. What do you say I put some fresh medicine on you and we get some rest?"

"I'll be careful, I swear, Doctor." Rose murmured, smiling at him. She smiled even brighter when he suggested the rest of their night. "Alright." She agreed, rolling her shirt up to look at her burn. "Wow... It looks awful..." She murmured, looking at her wounded stomach.

The Doctor chuckled a bit and took out the bandages and Curotian medicine from his pocket. "Well, it looks a bit better than it did."

Even with the gauze still around her midsection, the wound looked pretty bad; tinting the white cloth a faint yellow and dark red. "I believe most of that's from the medicine though," he commented, carefully unwrapping the used gauze and setting it aside. The Doctor repeated the treatment as before and applied the sticky red medicine then bandaged her up, tossing the soiled gauze into the trash. "I'll be sure to wake up earlier this time...don't want the Master catching us again."

"That feels better. Thank you, Doctor." Rose smiled and yawned. "I think it is time we get some sleep. I can hardly keep my eyes open."

The Doctor soon settled down onto the floor and rested his head on the makeshift pillow. "C'mon, then, sleepyhead."

"I promise things will be better." He rolled over onto his side until he was looking at her, letting her head rest on his arm. "Once I can get out of here, the Master's not going to get away without a good wallop from me." He smiled. "But, being a bit more serious, I really won't let him get away with hurting you and all those innocent people. I'll make sure the Master can't harm anyone again..."

With her head comfortably pillowed on his arm, Rose smiled at the Doctor. "_You_ giving a wallop? Why don't I believe that..." She smiled softly. Images from his past, the things she had seen in his mind, flashed back into her mind, and she realized it was quite possible. He was the Oncoming Storm after all.

"Just, do me one favor, Doctor," Rose said, smile faltering a bit. "Don't do anything you'll regret, okay?"

The Doctor didn't answer for a moment. "I think that it is a little late for me." His voice was soft, hiding the hint of pain. His mind flashed back to the Raconoss. He had been merciless then. He shivered. He didn't want Rose to see him like that again.

"Rassilon knows the Master deserves the harshest punishment I can give him, but I will try, for you." The Doctor placed his free hand on her shoulder.

His answer made her cringe. She knew the Master was destroying everything, and honestly, Rose wanted nothing more than to be the person who beat him to stone cold death. But what would the Doctor think of her? They couldn't afford to bend to his level, to become a monster like him. Besides, this wasn't so much about her. Of course, she would hate to see her Doctor like that. It would kill her. But what would kill her even more would be to know the Doctor couldn't live with himself if he became a monster again.

"Please try." She told him, offering the smallest of reassuring smiles. "I know you want to kill him, to destroy him. I do too. But doing that makes us the same as him."  
>The Doctor nodded. "I know," he replied, sounding old. "With the rest of the Time Lords gone...I'm not sure what to do with him. I can't let him go free."<p>

It broke her heart to hear the Doctor sounding so ancient. Times like this were few and far between, as he was usually so full of youthful exuberance. But when he did seem to be his age, it only brought Rose to her knees. A man this wonderful didn't deserve to be this haunted. She brushed a hand absently through his hair, trying to comfort him, to bring him back to Earth.

"I know. But you can't kill him either. When the time comes, I'm sure we'll figure out what to do."

The Doctor slid his hand from her shoulder down to her waist and seemed to relax at her words. "I hope I don't have to." He sighed deeply and his arm wrapped around her, a bit out of character for him, but he needed her. Rose gave him all the comfort in the world. "Thank you."

Rose closed her eyes, unable to ignore the divine feeling of his hand sliding down her body to her waist. She was sure her heart skipped a few beats. She knew that she was being foolish. He was only trying to comfort himself, and she had to drool over him, but she kept her hand in his hair, closing her eyes and indulging herself for just a moment. Pretending this was real.

"For what, Doctor?" Rose asked. "I'm only telling you what you already know."

"For everything." The Doctor closed his eyes. "You've done more for me than I'm afraid you'll ever know." He pulled her a little closer. "Far, far more."  
>Brought closer to the Doctor, Rose couldn't help but snuggle into his warmth. Eyes still closed, she allowed herself to pretend. In her mind, he was holding her because he loved her, not simply because she was his best friend, but because he needed her like she needed him.<p>

"Doctor..." she whispered, and there was almost a warning in her tone. A warning against what? Don't talk to me like that, you're only breaking my heart? Was that it?

"I'm always happy to do anything you need me to do," she settled on lamely, more detailed and affectionate confessions dying on her lips.

The Doctor didn't reply, he only smiled and soon, comforted by Rose's touch, he drifted off to sleep. Soon after the Doctor slipped off, so did Rose, but not before watching him for just a moment. Perhaps it was a little strange, but she wanted to watch him in peaceful slumber, an expression so different than his usual manic happiness or his sadness. After a few moments, Rose finally gave into a dreamless sleep.

Until she was awoken by the Doctor stirring beside her. She blinked blearily at him, still half-asleep. She held him a bit tighter, trying to calm his movements. Rose's eyebrows knit together in worry as he started to mumble in what must have been Gallifreyan. The Doctor was undoubtedly having another one of his nightmares.

His dreams were ridden with images of Rose as Bad Wolf, her eyes glowing, her mouth moving, but her words inaudible. He stirred slightly, almost aware that he was dreaming. The images of Bad Wolf slowly began to turn violent. The Rose in his nightmare was now crying, just as she had before, screaming over the pain as the world beneath her feet began to dissolve. Disoriented, the Doctor was running towards her, trying to do anything to stop her, anything to reach her. Bad Wolf turned to stare at him, tears pouring from Rose's glowing eyes. Then, all at once, he felt a horrible weight on his shoulders then he was falling.

The Doctor grabbed for something, anything, in his nightmare; back in reality, he was gripping the real Rose's arm tightly. Now Rose was completely awake, feeling the Doctor toss and turn in his sleep. He looked nervous, even though he was clearly still completely out. She gasped in pain as he grabbed her arm.

"Doctor, Doctor wake up!" she said softly, desperately trying to awaken him.

He thrashed, hands clinging to her arm so tightly that Rose was sure he would break it. The Doctor's breathing became heavy and his expression twisted into an anguished grimace. Then all at once his eyes snapped open.

"Rose!"

He jerked away from her, eyes wide, confused.

"Shhh, it's okay, you were having a nightmare." Rose propped herself up on her elbow to hover over him, brushing a cool hand across his forehead. "What's wrong?"

"Wh-what?" he blubbered out, looking at Rose as if he had hardly heard her. The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, I'm fine. It didn't make much sense anyhow." He rubbed his eyes and exhaled, chest heaving.

She bit her lip, wondering if she should press this. The poor thing still looked disturbed. Rose had come to comfort him before, these night terrors of his not uncommon, and it frightened her how weak and terrified the Doctor always looked upon awaking from them. It was strange, seeing such a strong man suddenly look so frail and scared.

"Tell me about it, Doctor," Rose said quietly. "Maybe that'll make it go away, if you talk about it."

The Doctor swallowed, not sure how much to tell her. "Just a bad dream about...a wolf," he said then added a bit quickly. "Silly thing for me to have a nightmare about. I suppose I've been reading to many fairy tales, yeah?"

"A wolf?" Rose questioned, daring to push this farther. "Tell me more, Doctor. Come on, out with it, you need to share to make sure it goes away."  
>"Yes, well...that's really just it. A wolf of sorts. The earth gave way from under me and I was falling," he answered simply. "Always had a small fear of heights, I suppose."<p>

Rose narrowed her eyes for a moment. "I'm not simple, Doctor. I know you're dreaming about the Bad Wolf." It was the only thing that made sense... A wolf... And given what they have been discussing earlier.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? Why don't I know what the Bad Wolf is? I feel like I should know, and I don't..." She murmured, before realizing she shouldn't be doing this now, and she pulled away from him. "I'm so sorry. Just, go back to sleep, Doctor, I won't bother you." Rose could bother him in the morning. But not now, when he needed rest.

"Rose..." The Doctor felt guilty for offending her. What else was he supposed to do? He feared that if Rose remembered being Bad Wolf, it might release itself again. There had to be a reason for the gap in her memory. "Rose, I can't tell you because you're not supposed to know. I'm sorry." He turned his head to look at her. "I'm sorry."

There was nothing to keep Rose from looking just a bit frustrated. "You can't tell me that. That doesn't make sense. If I can't know, there has to be a reason for that. At least tell me that reason, Doctor."

This was torture. He hated keeping things from Rose, especially if it involved her. It wasn't right, but he couldn't risk her turning into Bad Wolf again.

"Rose," the Doctor began slowly, "you were never meant to know about it. Well, I don't think so. No, I'm quite certain...if I were to tell you...it scares me. I'm afraid I might lose you." He knew it was a poor explanation, but it was the most he could tell her without _really_ telling her.

"How are you going to lose me?" she questioned quietly. The attack had dwindled from her voice, but there was still some desperation. Rose trusted the Doctor completely, but she was not afraid to argue with him when it was necessary.

"It's just information. There's nothing it can do to me. Those words followed us around for a year, Doctor. They took..." What? They took away the man she had fallen in love with? Oh, she had loved his previous self, even through the moodiness and anger and the insults. Of course, her love had only grown with this regeneration but she knew the Bad Wolf had something to do with why he regenerated. It was the only explanation.  
>"I just hate not knowing."<p>

"I know, I'm sorry." The Doctor put his other hand on hers. "Maybe I can tell you someday, maybe. But for now, it's best you not know." He locked eyes with her. "I would tell you if I could, you know that, don't you?"

There was something suspicious about her not being able to know, something that sent shivers down to her core. What had the Bad Wolf done that she was not allowed to even remember what it was? But, looking into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth, and he was just trying to keep her safe. In the only way he knew how.  
>"I know, I know..." she said absently, sighing, "I just wish you could. I'm sorry, I know it's not your fault."<p>

"I wish I could too," he replied, settling back down. "I really do. We should rest though. I'll try not to wake you again." The Doctor flashed a smile and yawned.

Rose sucked in a breath. She didn't know if she could sleep too well with her mind running a million miles an hour like this. "Yeah, you're right."

Soon, just as before, the Doctor was out like a light, his arms absentmindedly wrapped around Rose. Strange how he never could sleep before. Over the years, he assumed he just hadn't needed it. He woke up a few times, afraid Rose might be gone, but comforted to see her still lying there. Unable to sleep after waking about the third time, the Doctor lay awake for the rest of the night, watching for the first rays of dawn.


	7. Sacrifice

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>"Morning, Doctor," Rose whispered gently, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. The morning sun was just peeking through the windows, playing against her lovely face.<p>

"Good morning," he greeted cheerily. "Sleep well?" The Doctor craned his neck so he could see her. His hair was an utter mess, quite a bit worse than usual. He blinked against the harsh orange light that filtered into the control room, setting everything on fire. It almost made the terrible thing look beautiful.

"Well enough. For being on the floor." Rose smiled softly. His hair, mussed by sleep, made him look even more attractive, she thought. There was something just so sweet about it.

"When do you think the Master will join us?"

"I really do hope he sleeps in this time," the Doctor mused. "But I doubt he will. I'm just glad we didn't have to wake up to his friendly face this morning." He let his head fall back on the pillow. "Has he been treating you well?"

"Well, he doesn't hurt me, at least nothing serious, of that's what you mean. But, he likes to humiliate me and make me as uncomfortable as possible."

"Does his wife do anything to you, then?" he asked. "I don't think she's particularly dangerous, but she doesn't seem too kind either."

"No, other than the dirty looks." Rose sighed lightly, remembering the glares Lucy Saxon loved to send her way. "I feel like if the Master carries on like this she might start."

"Poor girl," the Doctor sighed, looking towards the ceiling. "She's just a toy to him. Nothing more than that. But I think she loves him." He thought about when he had first seen Harold Saxon and his new wife on the television. Reporters galore, asking them questions, but the pair had almost entirely ignored them by, of all things, kissing rather passionately in direct view of the camera. _Snogging!_ the Doctor had thought. _During reports? Earth has gotten even stranger since we left!_

"Oh, she certainly does. Adores him, really. I see the way she looks at him." Rose agreed, "I guess love like that could drive someone to do anything."

Rose hadn't the slightest idea what she would do if she were in Lucy's position. If the Doctor ruled he world like this, would she have the courage to fight him? The idea made her a little sympathetic for the Master's wife.

"She would follow him to the ends of the Earth, it looks like," Rose added.

"Yeah, but I think she'd listen to us though, if we were able to talk to her."

"Do you think?" Rose questioned, looking skeptical. "Or do you think she'd just march right up to the Master...?"

"Well, I suppose. I'm not sure, really. She's in love with him and she doesn't seem too bothered by what the Master has done, at least, not in public, but there's something else," the Doctor tapped his lips as he thought. "Something. She seems...scared in some way. D'you think she's afraid of him?"

"Scared? Of course she is. She'd have to be a fool not to be. But, in all seriousness, I think she is. Do you think he hurts her?"

"Do you think he hurts who?" Came the sing song voice of the Master, poking his head in the door.

The Doctor sat up and raised his brows. "And good morning to you too, Master," he greeted blandly. "You're up early."

"Only because I have plenty of plans for the two of you." The Time Lord grinned, narrowed eyes watching Rose sit up and move away from the Doctor. "You might want to cling a little tighter, Rosie, because you're in for it today." He swaggered closer, peering down at the two of them. "Now up and out, both of you. Today's going to be a fun day."

The Doctor glowered at the Master and stood, but remained close to Rose. "Shouldn't we be informed about what sort of fun we'll be having?"

"Oh, of course not!" the Master exclaimed, looking pleasantly shocked. "Where's the fun for me in that? Now up, up, you lovebirds. We're wasting precious time here! And there's _so_ much to do!"

The Doctor curiously studied the Master's expression. Was he being serious? He hadn't let him step out of this room since he had come on the ship. "Oh, a little 'family' gathering, hm?"

"Yes, Doctor, a 'family' gathering of sorts." The Master nodded. Looking at the pair in front of him, he had to laugh. If only the could see the looks on their faces, the utter devotion to protect the other at all costs. It was endearing.

"Don't worry, little soldiers. No one's getting hurt too badly today," the Master insisted, taking his laser screwdriver from his pocket and flipping it about. "Now, come along, before I have to use force."

The Doctor's hand easily slipped into Rose's, holding it tight with no intention of letting her go anytime soon. At least if they were going together.

The demented Time Lord smirked at them and their display of affection. These two were playing right into his hand. As expected, they were each others greatest weaknesses.

"Come along then," he bade, leading them from the conference room.

As Rose walked along behind the Master, holding tightly to her Doctor's hand, she noticed the were flanked by guards. There was no chance of escape here. They were brought to a sealed room, which when the Master opened, looked like a cross between a lab and a torture chamber. Though the most harrowing sight laid in the back:

The Doctor's TARDIS, cannabalized and in distress, turned into a paradox machine.

Rose gasped in horror upon seeing it, squeezing the Doctor's hand. The Master only laughed.

"Beautiful sight, isn't she?"

It was worse than the Doctor had expected. Wires stuck out from all over the blue box, hanging loosely about its open doors. The inside no longer had its warm glow, instead it was a dark red and the TARDIS' cloister bell was almost deafening in the Doctor's ears. It looked almost dead; well, as dead as a machine could look anyway.

The Doctor glanced at Rose as she squeezed his hand. He faced the Master again. "You've done quite a number on my TARDIS," he hissed, hoping it could be fixed.

"Oh, you like it, do you? I think it's so lovely," the Master sighed happily. "I thought having her be here might induce you to cooperate. Now, we're going to let the fun begin. Come here, Doctor."

The Doctor raised a brow. He certainly did not like being called over like some dog, but he knew it would not be wise to object; not with all the guards and the potential danger of harming Rose because of his disobedience. Reluctantly, the Time Lord let go of Rose's hand and stepped up in front of the Master, shoving his hands casually into his pockets.

"You're getting obedient in your old age," the Master muttered, tilting his head to the side and snickering. He looked about the lab, as if trying to make a decision. "You both know I've been asking after the Bad Wolf. It's time for me to see what I can find out."

The Master spun about on his heel, tapping his chin. "So, here are your options, Doctor. I can delve back into your companion's mind, see what there is to see, maybe destroy a few things along the way. Or, you can just tell me."

"We don't know anything." Rose piped up. "You saw for yourself. I have no memories of it. We don't know."

"Master, I don't know anymore than what I told you before," the Doctor agreed as calmly as he could, eyes roaming the various gadgets around him. His nose wrinkled slightly in disgust that the Master would have such horrible devices. Most were earth forms of torture, but a few, the far crueler ones, were from other planets.

"Bad Wolf is just as much of a mystery to us as it is to you."

"And I've told you. I don't believe you." The Master spun again to face the two. "When memories are erased, they always leave residual traces. Sometimes, you can pull them back out. I will make her remember what you erased."

Rose went pale, looking at the Doctor. _What he erased?_ The Doctor wouldn't mess with her mind like that...would he?

"Now, Doctor, take a look at this beautiful piece of work." The madman pointed to the metal chair at his side. "You know this one don't you? The Veruvian Stimulator."

"I never era-" The other Time Lord stopped short, eyes following the Master as he mentioned the stimulator. His face fell. "Where did you get that?"

The Doctor strode over to the cruel looking device. The chair itself was just a chair, but there were nodes connected to it that would attach themselves to the skin, connecting to the body's nerve endings, able to shoot pain through the body with no outward effects. He tapped one of the nodes with a finger, quickly pulling back, jamming a pricked finger into his mouth, both intrigued and horrified. In his travels, he had only seen one of these chairs once.

"I thought these things were outlawed centuries ago on Veruvia..." the Doctor mumbled.

"Oh, they were," the Master stated calmly, beaming down at the device like it was his pride and joy. "This one isn't actually Veruvian. I built it myself, actually. Made a few, good modifications to the design. The Veruvians were cruel, but not cruel enough... Anyway, I've just been itching to try this out. Now, he question is, which one of you will be taking a seat here?"

The Doctor glared at the Master, he couldn't imagine what could be crueler than the Veruvian's original design. The machine, or so the time traveler heard, sent millions of shock waves coursing through the victim's body; giving them the sensation of being set on fire with absolutely no relief.

"You have far too much time on your hands," he commented, doing his best to ignore the Master's last statement.

"I agree with that. I had so much time here, building my way up, tricking the little humans. I had to do _something_ with my time. Or I might have gone absolutely mad!" The Master laughed gleefully, knowing he was already as mad as they come. "But! Neither of you answered my question. Which will it be? The Oncoming Storm? Or his little human? Or, you can tell me what I want to know and we can avoid this altogether. Which wouldn't be quite as fun, but I'm sure they'll be more things we can play around with."

"We can't tell you anything if we don't know anything," Rose pointed out firmly.

"You might not know, my dear, but he does. Oh, he does." The Master smirked, running a hand across Rose's shoulder. She sneered and pulled away defensively.

"I'm telling the truth," the Doctor insisted. "I've said this dozens of times, I wouldn't risk Rose's life by lying and you know that. All I know is that Bad Wolf is dangerous and nothing good will come out of it if you try to get involved."

"Well, if that's how you're going to be, I suppose I'm just going to have to convince you."

The Master's grin was gone. He grabbed Rose by her shoulders and shoved her roughly into the chair. The Master walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders as metal cuffs connected her arms to the chair.

"Tell me what the Bad Wolf is!" he demanded, turning the device on. Pain shot through Rose, a sensation unlike any other. It was like pure fire was racing through her veins. She bit down on her lip, hard, to keep from screaming. The Master wouldn't get that from her.

The Doctor shoved the Master back, but it was too late, he had already activated it. Frantically, he tried pulling the cuffs off but to no avail. "Stop!"

The one thing the Master didn't expect was to be bodily shoved by the Doctor. The surprise was clear on his face, as he was knocked clean away from Rose Tyler, in favor of the Doctor getting in the way to try and free her.

The frightened Gallifreyan strained to free her, but nothing worked. If only he had his sonic! He growled in frustration. There were countless weapons of torture in this room, but nothing he could access without getting shot by a guard. The Doctor jerked harder on the restraints, pouring all his strength into it. "Master!"

"It won't work, Doctor, you can't get the cuffs off when the machine is on," the Master snarled, shoving him out of the way again. "Now answer me!"

Rose was fighting back tears, her entire world fuzzy around her. Vaguely, she was aware of the Doctor trying to free her, but she couldn't focus on anything but the pain.

"I'll turn it off if you tell me what you know," the Master seethed, running a hand through Rose's hair. He smiled sadistically, leaning down just enough to whisper softly in her ear, "You can scream, little one. I know you want to. Go on, scream. Let the Doctor know just how much pain you're in."

He glanced up at his horrified childhood friend, the smile stretching into a cold smirk. This was like oxygen for him.

"Bad Wolf is some sort of entity, a...a deity. I don't know what it is," the Doctor blurted, mind growing strangely muddled in his panic. That was new. "Just let her go now!"

"So you do know more." The Master smiled. He knew the Doctor was holding out on him. "No. Not until you tell me more. Where did you find it? What powers does this deity have?"

As if the make his point, he turned up the intensity. Rose finally broke, screaming as her back went rigid, pain rocketing through her. "There...that's it, my little rosebud...scream! Ah, such a beautiful noise," the Master cooed softly, still stroking her hair.

The Doctor angrily tried to go at the Master again, but this time the guards were ready, holding him back. He looked wide-eyed at Rose as she let out a scream of agony.

"Master..." the Doctor's voice cracked. "I...I didn't find it. It came to me." He grimaced at Rose's screams and found himself yelling now, "Bad Wolf...it's like the Vortex. I don't know! It sees everything. That's all I know!"

The Master's focus had shifted, now on his fellow Time Lord completely, even as the human writhed in pain before him.

"A being with the power of the Vortex?" he questioned. "Why does your TARDIS think it can save you? There's no being here. What form does it take?"

"Doc...tor..." Rose choked out, through pained, gritted teeth. "Don't... don't say...anything!"

"Oh, so the little girl does know something!" the Master grinned down at Rose, twisting a piece of blonde hair around his finger, as tears began to slip from Rose's eyes.

The Doctor cried out again at Rose's shrieks and desperately tried to pull away from the guards so hard he was almost sure he was going to pull his shoulders out of place. "Let her go! I know what you're thinking, but you can't contain the Bad Wolf. If would destroy you and everything else!"

"Maybe that's what I want, Doctor." The madman grinned. "Absolute power at its rawest form." He chuckled, sniffing the piece of Rose's hair he was holding. He smiled. "You want me to let her go? Beg for it. Plead for her life."

Every cell in his body told the Doctor not to give in, not to bow down to such a monster, but Rose... The Doctor dropped to his knees, but kept his head high.

"Bad Wolf will bring your end, Master," he spat bitterly, shaking in his anger. "The Vortex brought you to what a sick man you are now and it will destroy you."

"Then I will just have to be stronger!" he laughed, shaking his head.

Watching the Doctor lower himself to his knees, the Master felt a rush of pride. He was supreme, being bowed to by the lonely god. The pathetic Time Lord submitting to him was doing all this for the sake of one insignificant human. The Master grinned madly.

"But that doesn't sound like begging, my dear, dear Doctor," he exclaimed merrily, turning the intensity up again.

Rose Tyler screamed until her throat was raw. She jerked and pulled at the restraints so hard that she could feel it tearing at her wrists. The terrible, searing pain ripped through every muscle, every sinew in her body and felt as though it where pounding straight from her chest and bursting out to her limbs. Rose's hellish screams were interrupted by a few blubbered sobs as everything slowly began going black.

"Doctor...!" she managed to gasp. It felt like her entire body was burning from the inside out and her head was bursting with pain. Another scream caught in her throat and her eyes suddenly rolled in the back of her head. She slumped over with a horrific shudder.

"No! Rose!" came the Doctor's yell.

The Master pouted and ignored the other man's frantic screaming, looking at the human girl like she was a broken toy. "Pity. Thought she'd be more resilient. What a weak companion you have," he muttered, checking her pulse. His eyebrows raised and he sighed.

Terrified, the Doctor jerked harder against the guards' unrelenting arms, sweat beading his forehead. It felt like every ounce of strength had been sucked completely out of his body as he stared at Rose's limp, unmoving form. This couldn't be real, he had to be in another nightmare. There was no way this could be real.

The Doctor strained to look at Rose, hoping, praying she'd show some sign of life. "Rose? Rose, can you hear me? Rose...please.." When no answer came, the Doctor let out a growl, a low, pained noise, and looked down.

"Toys break so easily," the Master complained, shaking his head at the body. "Take the Doctor back to the conference room. Then come clean this ugly mess up."

The Master had broken his promise.

Rose, the Doctor's beautiful Rose Tyler, was dead.


	8. Denial

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>He felt numb. Absolutely numb. He was hardly aware of the Master's orders or that the guards had already begun to lead him out. He had lost another companion, but not just any companion, the Doctor had lost Rose. The one person who he had loved so much.<p>

Watching the light leave the Time Lord's eyes, watching the way he simply let himself be dragged from the room, was just too brilliantly wonderful for the Master. The death of this insignificant little human girl had rendered the mighty Oncoming Storm broken and numb. The Master was almost disappointed at how easily it had come, destroying the Doctor, but all the same he relished the magnificent amount of pain in his old friend's face. This day just couldn't get any better.

Once the Doctor was gone, the Master looked down at the girl. "Come here, you beautiful thing. You are more important than you will ever know," he cooed to her, releasing her from the chair and gently stroking her cheek.

As soon as they reached the control room, the Doctor practically fell onto the table, supporting himself with his shaking hands. Rose was dead.

"How can she be dead..." he breathed, hearts breaking as tears threatened to fall. "No, no, she...she can't be."

The pair of guards who were left stationed at the door watched pitifully as the Doctor seemed to fade into shock, staring blankly at the table in front of him. In a few minutes, the door slid open again. The Master leaned casually against the door frame, arms crossed as he examined the Doctor. How frail he looked now. What a pitiful creature.

"You loved her," he stated, breaking the quiet with the simple fact. The Master had deduced it earlier, but this cinched it. The Time Lord was head over heels for a human. "Didn't you?"

Silence was the only answer to the Master's question. The Doctor's ears were deaf to every sound but the dull thumping of his own hearts and the sad chiming of the TARDIS who also seemed to be mourning her Doctor's loss. Nothing else mattered to him at the moment; not the Master, not the soreness in his muscles from fighting back the guards, not even the millions of tormented people down on Earth could tear his mind away from the image of Rose's dead body, from the sound of her tortured, hellish screams still ringing in his ears. All the Time Lord could focus on was how he had let Rose down. He promised her so many times that they would be okay, that he would get her out. A knot formed in the Doctor's throat.

_How many other dead have I promised that?_

"You didn't..." he eventually choked out, "...you didn't have to kill Rose..."

"You won't believe me when I say it, I'm sure. But I didn't mean to." The Master struggled to retain a serious expression. Oh how he wanted to laugh...

He walked around the table, leaning over it to get a better view of the Doctor. "But, honestly, Doctor. She was just a human. A stupid ape." There was something that nearly looked like genuine pity on his face. "If you need a human so badly I can go down and get you another. Simple as that. But, please don't bore me by sitting here crying over one little human. You've had tons of companions. What makes her so special?"

_What makes her so special?_ The Doctor could have laughed if he wasn't hurting so badly. _What doesn't make Rose special? _She was the most wonderful, compassionate woman the Doctor ever had known. Every bit of Rose's personality embodied everything he loved about the human race. Sure, she had her flaws. She could be selfish at times, had a tendency for jealousy, maybe she was a little on the brash side, but he loved that too. That was what made her so beautifully human. Rose kept him grounded, she gave him a reason to keep going, she had saved him from himself and brought him out of the horrors of the Time War.

"None of my companions were as brilliant as her," the Doctor murmured, not even bothering to look at the Master. He shook his head. "You got what you wanted, then, didn't you?"

The Master smirked when he didn't look up, shaking his head slightly. Oh how far this creature had fallen. Being the last of his kind had made him soft.

"And what is it that you think I wanted?" he questioned, wanting to make him talk. It was like he could feed off the sadness in his voice.

The Doctor struggled to breathe, his chest felt tight and heavy, the knot in his throat growing larger and sorer by the second. Before he wouldn't have wanted the Master to see him cry so pathetically, but now that Rose was gone, it didn't matter. The rest of the world was dead to him.

"To break me," he replied. "To get your revenge. That was it, wasn't it? To have revenge?" His voice was shaking. The Doctor blinked as a tear spattered onto the dark wood.

"I suppose it is what I wanted..." the Master answered quietly with a smile. "And look. I broke you. I've won." The Time Lord smirked, leaning back in his chair. "But it can't be all that bad, Doctor. She would have died anyway. Long before you."

The Doctor finally forced himself to look at the Master, his haunted expression returning. The Master was right. Rose would have died sooner or later, but he had always tried to tell himself that she wouldn't, that maybe she would be different. Or, at least, she'd die peacefully, not violently and in so much pain as she had.

"She shouldn't have died that way."

"I told you, I didn't intend to kill her. How was I supposed to know she was that weak?" the Master retorted, folding his hands across his stomach. He studied the Doctor, looking intently at the haunted expression in his eyes. Suddenly, his friend looked so much older, his eyes empty, soul completely torn form his body. It was fascinating.

Something seemed to darken the mourning Time Lord's eyes. "Who's lying now, Master?" he stated, voice still pained. The Doctor pushed himself off the table and turned away from the Master and fell silent once more, staring out at the window.

"I've never stopped lying." The Master smirked, watching the Doctor turn his back on him. "Now, come along, you can't really believe I wanted to kill her. I've lost my greatest bargaining chip. The only thing I could hold against you."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at the Master. "But you got tired of it, is that it?" He turned to face him. "If this is an apology, Master, it's a weak one and don't expect me to accept it."

"I'm not apologizing to you." The Master rolled his eyes. He shook his head walking toward the door. "I can see you're useless to talk to in your emotional state. Call me when you're over this."

"You think I'll just 'get over' this?" The Doctor looked appalled.

The Master sighed and looked over his shoulder again at the Doctor. "Why not? You have with all the others."

"Don't." The Time Lord's voice was low, threatening.

"Ooh, is that finally some fire in that voice of yours?"

"Shut up!" the Doctor snarled.

The Master's eyes narrowed. "You're hardly in a position to tell me what to do," he hissed. "I will speak as much as I like."

The Doctor swallowed and backed off. What was the point in this? He worked his jaw and clenched his teeth. "Rose was the last thing I had. The last thing I really cared about. And you killed her!"

"Yes, alright, I killed her," snapped the Master. "_Accidentally_. Honestly, Doctor, you act like I'm the worst between the two of us. You're such a hypocrite."

"What?"

"Don't pretend to be so daft," he sighed, rolling his eyes again. "You're cursing me like I'm a monster, which, I suppose I am. But I've hardly committed the crimes you have. You, after all, committed genocide. You killed every last one of our people."

The Doctor flinched.

"You," the Master continued, "my dear, dear Doctor, you and I aren't that different at all. Oh if your sweet little Rose had only known what all you've done, she'd never let your bloodied hands touch her." He smirked evilly. "She'd have hated the real you. Despised you. Is that why you keep yourself such a mystery to all of your companions?"

"Master, I'm warning you..."

"It is, though, isn't it? Ohh, Doctor. You naughty, naughty boy. You lie to all of them because you hate yourself. You lie because you know deep down that if they even had a glimpse of the true you, the murderer that you really are, they would be _absolutely disgusted_."

"I told you to shut up!" In his blind rage, the Doctor lashed out at the Master, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall before any of the guards could react. "I regret all of the innocent blood I've shed, but I had no choice! You don't know the first thing about me!"

Guards quickly were on the furious Doctor, dragging him back away from the Master. He struggled against them and wished desperately that the Master would order him to be killed. That would be nice.

The Doctor expected the Master to look outraged, but instead he turned around laughing hysterically. He grinned at his tormented old friend and shook his head. "Oh, you're just too much fun!"

The Master's fist slammed straight across the Doctor's face.

"You're a prisoner here, Doctor. Remember your place," he sneered. With that, the Master turned again, ordered that two guards watch the door from the outside, and walked out of the conference room, leaving the bloodied Time Lord behind.

As soon as the Master and the guards left him, the Doctor yelled in both anger and sadness, kicking one of the rolling chairs. It clattered as it hit the floor. The Doctor rubbed his eyes with one hand and leaned against the table again with the other. He sniffed and wiped the blood from his nose and mouth. It stung like crazy and he was almost certain that the Master had broken his nose.

The Doctor took in a deep breath and tried to regain his composure, but the tears wouldn't stop falling.

"I am so sorry, Rose. So, so sorry. Forgive me..."


	9. Imprisoned

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Her entire body ached, almost so much that she couldn't take it. She was aware of her arms stretched above her head, shackled firmly to the arm of the couch she was laying on. She blinked against the harsh light spilling in from the window. Slowly, she turned her head, catching something at the corner of her eye.<p>

"Doctor...?"

"Rose Tyler!" the Master cried with a clap. "Back from the dead!"

"Wh...?"

The man grinned devilishly down at the human girl. "You lovely, lovely thing! You've no idea what you've done!"

Rose shifted uncomfortably and struggled to pull herself into a sitting position. Her head spun and she quickly found herself lying back down. Not an inch of her body wasn't sore. "Wha...what happened? Where am I?"

"You, my sweet rosebud, you're in my study! You passed out, you see. An entire twenty-eight hours! I'm afraid you gave the Doctor and I quite a scare."

Her mind still swimming and she felt as though she were going to be sick. Everything hurt. Rose's heart thumped as she remembered the Doctor. "Where is he? Where is the Doctor?"

"Oh, shh, now," the Master shushed. "The Doctor is fine. Well, as fine as a mourning Time Lord can be."

"Mourning...?"

He chuckled, running a cool finger down Rose's cheek. She pulled away, sending her head reeling once more from the small movement. The Master flicked a strand of hair from her face and answered quietly, "Yes! Yes! My dear, you should have seen yourself! All pale and still. No wonder he thinks you're dead. You've absolutely torn his hearts to pieces, the poor, poor, pathetic Doctor."

Rose's breath caught in her throat. The Doctor thought she was dead?

"I've never seen him so broken up by a human before."

"I want to see him. Take me to him!"

"Ooh, afraid you can't. You see, I rather enjoy watching him fall apart like this. It's fascinating." The Master turned his back to her and ran a hand through his hair. "Perhaps I'll reveal our little game to him eventually, but who knows..." He stopped again and looked over his shoulder with a wink. "...maybe after a while you won't need him anymore, hm?"

Rose shivered. Something about the way he said that, the way the Master said anything really, chilled her to the bone. She gritted her teeth and jerked as strongly as she could against the chain, ignoring the pain. "Doctor!" she screamed. "Doctor! I'm alive, Doctor! Doctor, please!"

"He can't hear you, you know," sighed the madman. "Scream all you like, but these walls are sound proof. However...see that little speaker up there?" The Master pointed to a small black box mounted to the corner of the ceiling. "I'll have that one tuned in to the conference room. That way you can hear just how your precious Doctor is doing. Think of it as my gift to you."

He smiled and tapped the side of his nose. "Well, then, I must be off. Busy, busy evening ahead of me! Rest up and be a good girl for me, hm, Rosie? Ta-ta!"

That night, Rose cried herself to sleep.

p/p

p/p

Lucy Saxon jiggled the doorknob to the Master's study. Puzzled to find that it was locked, she removed a key from her pocket and opened the door. Her heels clicked as she walked in. Tossing her sable onto a chair, she turned. Her eyes widened as she spotted Rose, handcuffed to the couch.

"Wh...what are you doing in here?" Mrs. Saxon exclaimed, shocked.

Lucy's shrill, jarring voice shook Rose forcibly from her nearly peaceful repose. At least unconscious she couldn't feel the pain in her body. But now she was forced awake by the woman, and she groaned loudly, opening her eyes slowly. The whole room was spinning again, the ache in her body still unbearable despite being there for nearly a week. She distinctly felt like she was about to vomit.

"I...the Master's been keeping me here," she croaked out finally.

Lucy stared at Rose for a moment as if trying to piece everything together in her head or wondering what to do. "You..you...don't give me that!" the woman in red fumed, her jaw tightening. She cursed and turned on her heel, crossing her arms. Lucy snapped back around to glare at Rose. "You had best tell me, _Miss Tyler_, right now."  
>As the woman began screaming at her, Rose's jaw dropped. Her entire body was in pain, she was handcuffed into immobilization, and now the Master's wife was yelling at her. <em>Lovely.<em>

She thought for a moment, before glaring at Mrs. Saxon. It was obvious what the woman was trying to get at.

"What do you think, Lucy?" Rose hissed, letting her frustrations out. "Do you think I came in here and handcuffed myself to your couch? To seduce your husband? Are you so dim that you forget I'm a _prisoner_ here?"

That seemed to shut Lucy up...for a moment.

"You know good and well that wasn't what I meant," she snapped, fidgeting. Lucy knew she was unfairly venting her anger over her husband on Rose. Irritated, the blonde paced back and forth from the desk to the couch, picking at the clasp on her hand purse. "Why would Harold keep a prisoner here, of all places!"

Chewing on her lip, Rose looked the other woman up and down. Pity gradually clouded her eyes. Poor thing, so wrapped up in her love and devotion to her husband who probably didn't care a thing for her. As she looked Lucy over, she noticed that the woman was wearing quite a bit more makeup than usual. Were those faint bruises she saw on her arms?

"I don't know..." Rose answered quietly. "I've been here a few weeks, but I haven't seen him since I first woke up. I swear. I don't even know why he keeps me alive."

Her eyes traveled up to the speaker at the corner of the room. How many times had she heard the Doctor's anguished crying in the middle of the night? His tortured screams and growls as his usual nightmares returned and intensified? Lately it had been quiet, eerily quiet. Rose worried for him.

"I just...I want to see the Doctor," she breathed. "Where is he? The Doctor? Is he alright?"

It was a stupid question. She knew from the sounds she heard night after night that he was anything but 'alright'. The Doctor's suffering was killing her inside.

A mixture of anger and apprehension washed over Lucy's tense, thin features. She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a stutter. She sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "I don't know," Mrs. Saxon answered, calming down. "Harry doesn't normally tell me what he does with his prisoners. Obviously. I'd really rather not know most of the time."

Rose frowned. Lucy suddenly seemed so vulnerable, so small and delicate. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same woman who stood by Harold Saxon's side, proud and confident, so sure of herself and their future. Something had gone wrong between Lucy and the Master it seemed and the poor woman was visibly shaken by it. All at once Rose realized that despite the fact that she had chosen to become the Master's wife, Lucy was just as much of a victim as anyone else, just as human, and, by the looks of it now, regretful.

"Can you get me out of these handcuffs? I need to see the Doctor," Rose begged hopefully. "I know you know how badly I need to see him. Please."

"Very well, I-" Lucy stopped short as the Master stepped in, jolly as ever, shooting down any plans Rose might have had. Anger swelled in the woman's body and she stood. Lucy told herself to slap him, slap that happy little grin off his face, but she could hardly bring herself to move in his presence.

"Lucy! Hello, there. I see you've been chatting with our friend Rose."

She glared at him, body trembling, but she didn't raise a hand. "Harry, what is this?" Lucy jabbed an accusing finger in Rose's direction. "Why is _she_ in here?"

The Master approached Lucy, his hands going to her face, drifting back through her hair and down to her neck. "Lucy, darling, what does it matter?" he cooed in her ear, dipping his lips to press lightly against hers. "I needed somewhere to keep her that the Doctor would not find her."

Lucy accepted the kiss and weakly returned it out of fear. Her eyes followed him to Rose and she sucked on her bottom lip impatiently. "Harry," she spoke again, unsatisfied, "can't you take her back to the Doctor? I'm tired of hearing him all night."

She sighed. It wasn't that the Doctor was particularly loud, but there was something about the unearthly moans from the Time Lord that seemed to resonate through the walls. She could hear them day in and day out, ringing in her head. It was maddening.

The Master released Lucy, moving to hover over Rose who scrunched herself as close to the back of the couch as she could. He couldn't deny how much he liked the control he had over the room. The Master loved this sort of power. His hands smoothed down Rose's shirt, as he looked to his wife, not bothering to straighten up.  
>"I find it rather refreshing. Our dear Doctor still thinks his companion is dead." He smirked at Rose. "But it's strange. He didn't even ask to see your body. Perhaps his hearts can't bear it."<p>

"Please, Master, you've done this long enough," Rose pleaded. She struggled against him, trying to get his hands off of her. "Let me see him! We had a deal."

"I believe that my only promise was that I wouldn't kill you. And you're very much alive."

"Harry..." Lucy began, casting a sympathetic look at Rose.

The Master moved away from the girl, stalking over to Lucy. "My answer is no," he snarled. "I want him to stew a bit more. I've not completely broken him yet."

"But-"

"Lucy!" the Master snapped, quickly turned angry. He glowered down at her. "I said that my answer is no."

Lucy shrank back and looked at the floor. "Y-yes, of course," she squeaked, taking a step away from him. "Then," she started again carefully, rubbing her temple, "can we please go someplace else, Harold? You look tired as well. What do you say? A relaxing cup of tea? S-Some music?"

"That's a good girl. You're such a good girl, Lucy," the Master whispered, brushing a hand over her cheek and smiling as he watched her flinch fearfully under his touch. "That sounds lovely. Goodbye, Rose Tyler. Do try to enjoy yourself."

He took Lucy around the waist, waving at Rose who was quietly holding back new tears. She rolled onto her side and curled into a tight ball. She couldn't let this go on. By the sound of it, the Doctor had given up hope in his grief. Rose knew that eventually he would try something again, he had to. Giving up just wasn't her Doctor. But she didn't think that they had time to wait for the Doctor's wounds to heal; if she was going to save the Doctor, she would have to rely on herself.

Rose sniffed and stared at the clock on the wall. Lucy was the closest to the Master, she knew the most, and she also was one of the most fragile. Her brain began to whir and slowly Rose began to devise a plan...


	10. An Unlikely Alliance

_I apologize for taking so long to put this up! Things have been crazy hectic lately. - InkFable_

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><p><strong>Written By: <strong> Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Almost a week had passed since the Doctor had witnessed Rose's "death". He had hardly touched anything that the Master's other servants brought him to eat, he was listless and the daylight dragged even more so than ever. Before, even though Rose wasn't there, he knew that she would come back at night when she had finished her chores. But now...?<br>The Doctor's nights were slow and sleepless. What little shut eye he could get were riddled with nightmares, filled with her dying screams. He had almost gotten accustomed to feeling her warmth by his side as he slept. Now it felt cold and empty. A piece of him was missing.  
>Elsewhere, Lucy had just awoken, rather fond of sleeping in, and tidied herself up as much as it mattered. Ever since finding Rose in her husband's study, Lucy would sometimes wake in the middle of the night and wander the ship's hallway, hoping to tire herself enough to go back to bed. Nearly every night she would hear the Doctor wailing quietly. One of the guards said he was fine, just having a "bad dream of sorts".<br>The sounds and the thoughts of what the two went through bothered her. At first, she hadn't cared, but for some reason it unnerved her now.  
>Lucy clipped a flower pin to her dress and ordered one of the maids to make her two cups of tea.<br>"Two, missus? Shall I bring it to...to Mr. Saxon?"  
>"No, back here," she muttered, applying some makeup. "And be quick."<p>

After the maid had brought the cups of tea, Lucy headed quietly down the hallways towards the Master's study. Cautiously, she greeted the guard on the outside and walked in, glad to find that her husband wasn't there. What she did find, however, was the huddled blonde mess that used to be a very proud Rose Tyler. Now the young woman lay curled up in her own sorrow, softly sobbing.  
>The past week had been nothing but hell for Rose. The Master had left her alone, unable to keep up her job as her servant. He had cooed to her earlier in the week, tapping her on the nose and telling her he didn't trust her enough to let her go.<br>So she had been living in his study, always handcuffed to something or other. Rose had tried to get free, tried to wiggle out of her handcuffs, even had tried to drag the couch out of the study with her. She had even once attempted to seduce a guard. Anything, anything to get out.  
>A few nights, she could hear the Doctor in his misery, and it had shattered her heart. Once, she had tried to call back to him, but the Master had heard her. She still sported a lovely purple bruise on her cheek from that encounter.<br>It had been a week now and Rose hardly slept. So, the morning passed like the night, and she was balled up on the couch, arms bent at an awkward angle. She was crying too, as quietly as possible as not to alert the Master, but they were dry tears. There were simply no more left in her.  
>Mrs. Saxon set the cups on a desk and shut the door. "Ahem."<br>It took Lucy's voice for Rose to even notice there was someone else in the room. She looked up, rubbing at her eyes with her wrists. She didn't want Lucy to see her as a mascara covered mess, no matter how much pride she had lost already. She glanced from the prim, made-up woman, to the tea she had brought in.  
>"What's this about?" Rose croaked, her voice hoarse from crying. She didn't even have the energy to snap at Lucy. "Where's your husband?"<br>"I-I came to, uh..." Lucy awkwardly shifted her weight from one leg to the other then picked up the cups of tea. "Have...have you eaten?" She stepped to the edge of the couch and sat down in a chair, apparently one the Master had sat in to tease poor battered Rose. "Would you want a cup of tea? It's, um, it's fresh."

Pulling herself into an awkward sitting position, Rose moistened her cracked and dried lips. What was Lucy trying to get at?  
>"I...well, no, I haven't." Rose answered, surprised and mildly suspicious. "But I don't think I really have the appetite for it..."<br>She sucked in a breath, looking at the tea. "I would love some but..." She tugged at her handcuffs, indicating her bound wrists. "It's a little impossible, yeah? But thanks... Means a lot that you're here and uh... Not trying to torture me..."  
>Lucy cracked a nervous smile. "I see," she nodded, noticing the dark blemish around her cheek which had turned a deep purple. She cringed and looked down at the cups. "I suppose I came to apologize, well...make amends or..." She paused and let the cups rest in her lap. "I didn't think Harry would do this."<p>

Sucking in a deep breath, Rose closed her eyes. Even in her situation, she couldn't help but pity the woman before her. "Look Lucy, I know how it is. I know how it feels to feel like you would do anything for someone," she said softly. "I know you'd do anything for him. But what you have to know is that I'd do anything for the Doctor, too. And I can't right now and it's killing me."  
>"Right..." Lucy nodded, clearing her throat again. "Then...ah. There's not much you can do, is there?"<br>Lucy stood and set the cups back on the desk, retrieving a key from her purse which was slung around one shoulder. She looked increasingly nervous as she moved back to Rose. "Please," she whispered, "don't let anyone know about this. I...I can't possibly stand to see you or that Doctor of yours suffer. Harry usually just immediately-" She shook her head. "N-nevermind. Just don't breathe a word of this, you hear me?"  
>Mrs. Saxon worked quickly on the lock, freeing one of Rose's hands. She had slipped the key from the Master last night just as the Time Lord began to doze off. She doubted he would notice it missing for some time.<p>

"Lucy..." Rose gaped in shock, feeling hope rush through her body for the first time in the week. "Lucy..."  
>She was stunned. This woman was going to help her! This was perfect.<br>"Thank you, Lucy... Words can't even say how happy I am..." Rose grinned brightly. When her hand was slipped from one handcuff, she was able to slip them out of the arm of the couch. "Thank you." She murmured again, unable to keep herself from drawing the other woman into a hug. "I promise, that whatever happens, whenever this ends, we're going to make sure you're safe. We won't let him hurt you."  
>Lucy nodded, fear gleaming in her eyes. She stiffened as Rose hugged her, surprised. "Yes, well," she flashed another awkward smile. "Just wait here for a few moments...I will have to call the guard away. I'll take him around the corner to the left until you can get out." She put the key back into her purse and turned to go to the door. Just as her hand touched the knob, she glanced over her shoulder. "And...I...I'm sorry."<p>

Lucy then quietly exited the room. The muffled noises of her speaking with the guard soon faded as she led him away from the door.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Rose could hardly contain her joy. If anything, the Doctor would know she was alive. He would know that she was here and he would stop feeling so miserable. Even if the Master found them, it would be worth it.  
>Rose heard the guard being led away and she couldn't help but bursting out in a run down the hallway.<br>Running, always the running. And she was running as fast as her legs would carry her, back to the conference room.  
>Nothing could stop her from bursting through the door. But she stood there, dumbly, the doors swinging shut behind her. "Doctor..." She murmured, unable to find it in her feet to move until he acknowledged her. "Doctor."<p>

The Doctor, still numb even almost a week after, hardly heard her come in. He just barely heard his name. _No, no, why won't you stop bothering me?_ he thought, rubbing the bridge of his nose, thinking he was only hearing her voice in his head again.  
>Regardless, he turned. His jaw dropped and he felt his breath rush out of him. Was he seeing things too now? "Wh..."<br>He stood there stupidly, staring, unable to speak. Confused. "Rose...?"  
>The Doctor had to be dreaming, he had to have gone mad.<p>

That look on the Doctor's face broke her heart. Ripped it up into tiny little pieces... There he was, looking so lost, staring at her like she was some sort of ghost. Which, perhaps that's exactly what he thought she was.  
>She couldn't find her voice either, for a good few minutes, as she crossed the room slowly, closing the distance between them. "It's me, Doctor. It is."<br>When she was just a foot in front of him, she reached out to him, taking his hand in hers slowly, almost reverently. "I'm alive. The Master lied to you."  
>Then, there she was. Touching his hand. She was real, <em>so real<em>. The Doctor's face slowly lit up and a brilliant smile spread across his face as he scooped her up into a giant hug.

Watching his face brighten, the grief lifting away and being replaced by such a beaming grin, that beaming grin Rose loved, was simply beautiful. It was like someone had given her heart a pair of wings, and this entire week of hell had been nothing. It meant nothing. She was with her Doctor again.  
>"Rose! You're...it's you!" the Doctor exclaimed, still almost disbelieving. But she was there, in his arms. He spun he around once, holding her tight.<p>

"It's me, Doctor." Rose assured him, grinning like a fool as he lifted her off her feet and spun her around, "I'm right here." She clung to him tightly, as if the world might fall apart if she let go. But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. Her feet were back on the ground, but her head felt light as the Doctor's hands were on her face and then his lips fell upon hers. It took her a moment to react, a moment of completely dumbstruck immobilization.

Rose Tyler flung her arms around the Doctor's neck and kissed him back for all she was worth. Pure joy and energy rushed through their bodies as their lips met. Warm, loving...it made the Doctor's head spin to feel Rose's soft lips moving against his. He held the kiss for a while longer then pulled back, a ridiculously happy grin still plastered to his face. "How? I saw you die...you were dead."

Rose's face was flushed bright red when the Doctor pulled away from her, and she was still smiling at him, amazed this even happened.  
>"I was passed out, I think. I woke up in the Master's study and then he was there, all of the sudden, telling me you thought I was dead." She reached up to gently touch his face, barely a touch at all. "I tried to get back to you, I did, I swear, but he almost never let me out of his sight."<br>"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that you're alive," he answered. The Doctor's smile wavered slightly as he noticed the ugly bruise across her cheekbone. "Oh Rose..."  
>The Time Lord's fingertips brushed back a few strands of her hair, revealing the injury. His smile faded a bit more, but he brought her back into a hug. "I'm so happy that you're here." The Doctor was at a loss for words in his joy, his pain melting away. Meaning had returned to his life.<p>

"Now, come on Doctor, you can't get rid of me that easy," Rose teased. "I promised you forever."

The Doctor was set to smiling again at her words. "Yeah, I remember." He chuckled softly. "What do you say we get out of here? I'm a bit tired of waiting on old Jack."

"That would be great, but there's nothing to get out of here to. The world is in shambles, Doctor, practically everyone is dead." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. "But I haven't been completely idle... If we can get me back so that the Master never knows I was here...I-I think I have a plan to get your sonic back."

The Doctor's brows raised. "Ooh, there's my girl!" he piped. "What's the plan?" It was a bit odd for him to be asking someone else for a solution, but he didn't care. He had given up hope since her apparent "death" and, a bit ashamedly, hadn't thought much else of how to stop the Master since.

"Okay... So it's not the best idea I've ever had, and you may not like it but...hear me out. It may be the best chance we have." Rose sucked in a breath, her hands remaining on his shoulders, as she hadn't the slightest desire to break away from him.  
>"The Master's been spending the entire week trying to break me. He loves having control, in every way possible. It's what he does to Lucy every single day, I see it now, being with them like I was." Rose averted her eyes now, a bit ashamed of her plan. "If I were to let him break me, t-to make him think he had crushed my spirit and then, offer myself to him in, you know, that way... I don't think he'd refuse." Another breath, awkwardness dissipating as she could begin to talk business. "That's where it gets easy. We'll end up in his bedroom, which is where he keeps the sonic. Second nightstand drawer, I've seen it... I knock him out, get you the sonic. But that means we have hours at best, if I do my best to silence and restrain him, to figure out a way to fix all of this."<p>

The Doctor looked worried. He didn't particularly like the plan, especially if it meant the Master would get "personal" with Rose, which the Doctor didn't doubt. All the same, he didn't have a better plan. At least, not one that was at all possible in their situation.

She smiled sheepishly when he didn't reply. "Rubbish plan, I know, but it's all I've got."

"Rose, I don't think-"

"Doctor. I promise I won't let him do anything to me," she reassured. "he finally conceded hesitantly. "Just, just be careful, alright? If the Master finds out, he may really kill you."

The Doctor sighed heavily and nodded. "Alright. How long should I give you before I come?"

"Don't worry about me. I'd say give me about an hour and a half. No matter what, come by then. If it takes me any longer, something will have gone wrong and I'd need your help." She glanced up to him, looking serious. "When you have the sonic, will you be able to stop all of this? Because we've only got one chance to make this work..."

The Doctor sucked in air between his teeth. "Yep," he nodded. "Well, hopefully. If I can get my sonic, make a few quick modifications, I'm almost certain I can shut down some of the workings of this ship. If we can do that...well, I'm not quite sure about after that. I'm making this up as I go." The Doctor blinked and shook his head, smiling. "But that's how it usually goes, yeah? We'll have a fighting chance. That, and I know of quite a few guards here who will gladly help us if the opportunity presents itself."

Nodding, Rose couldn't help but smile. Of course, they would wing it, as usual. "Alright. I think we've got it. So... I'll just go back, hopefully he hasn't realized I'm gone."  
>Awkwardly, she shuffled away from him, her smile faltering a bit. "I'll see you soon. An hour and a half."<br>"Sharp," the Doctor added. "I'll be there. Allons-y!"


	11. Black Death, Gold Salvation

**Please Read!:  
><strong>_Hello! InkFable here. I highly doubt anyone reads the little segment before the beginning of the chapter, so I will go ahead and say that the rating for this particular chapter has changed slightly. It is still rated PG-13/Teen, but this time for violence AND mild suggestive themes (for like...what? 13 seconds? Very brief anyhow). No worries, there's nothing terribly bad at all, Savvy and I wouldn't write something like that. Still, I thought I should toss that out there, just in case. _

_ ~ InkFable_

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><p><strong>Written By: <strong> Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence and mild suggestive themes)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>Ever since the Master's ruse to convince the Doctor that Rose were dead, the guards at the conference room had been moved; believing that the broken-hearted Time Lord had lost all of his zeal to escape. The halls were scantily guarded, no one expecting that Lucy Saxon would have broken the strong hold over the two prisoners.<p>

The hallway, as expected, was entirely empty when Rose left the conference room, so she had a simple enough time getting back to the study. Handcuffing herself back to the couch, Rose slumped over in her best pained, broken stance. When the Master returned, she slipped into her part brilliantly. He tormented her, she cried and just as he was ready to leave, Rose began her act. She whined and flirted, telling him she was sickened at how easily the Doctor had given up. She claimed to need someone stronger, someone not so emotionally weak.

"Someone...like you, Master?"

Feeding his ego, Rose easily drew the Master back in. She loathed this, only wanting to finally get rid of this horrible man. It felt wrong, but she kept telling herself that she was doing this for the Doctor. A few light touches and responses later, the Master was convinced. Still chained, the Time Lord dragged her to his room. A half-unbuttoned shirt and a deep red bite mark on her collarbone later, he unlocked the cuffs.

That was his flaw.

Quick as a flash, Rose was atop him, knocking the daylights out of him with a lamp. He slumped unconscious, and she was sure to handcuff him to the bed, happy to let Lucy Saxon find him like this. She gagged him as well for good measure. Retrieving the screwdriver, she checked the clock. Not even a minute to spare.

Just on time, the Doctor raced down the hallway, his trench coat billowing out from behind him as he ran. He found it very strange that the hallways were so empty. The Master had dropped his guard, but it almost seemed too barren. Where had all the men gone? He pushed the small worry to the back of his mind and focused on finding the Master's main bedroom. The Doctor had little time left and he hoped Rose had been successful.

Bursting through the doorway, he nearly stumbled over the Master's black suit coat which had been tossed ungraciously to the floor. The Doctor looked up to find Rose brandishing a heavy-looking lamp and leaning over the unconscious madman. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat. "Ah...quick work. Remind me not to get on your bad side." He flashed a quick smirk and stepped towards the bedside.

Rose couldn't help but smile a bit. She dropped the lamp and clambered off of the Master's prone from. "I think you'll have to do something pretty terrible to deserve a lamp to the side of your head," she chuckled, pulling his sonic screwdriver from the pocket in her shirt. "Here." She grinned and tossed him the tool before setting to re-buttoning her shirt. When this was all over, the first thing Rose was going to do was taking a day long shower and using the stuff in the Doctor's medical lab to clean up her bruises.

"Find out anything?" the Doctor abruptly asked.

"Hm?"

"Mind reading."

"Oh." Rose frowned. "No. I tried, but he kept his mind too guarded. I'm sorry, Doctor."

"No, no."

Silence.

Well, this was awkward.

"Ah...I'd say we have maybe two hours before anyone notices," she offered. "Time to go save the TARDIS?"

The Doctor nodded, catching the sonic and slipping on his glasses. He immediately began working on it, pulling out the bit of wire and small strips of metal he had salvaged from the dog-tent weeks ago.

"Right-o!" he exclaimed, still messing with the screwdriver as he opened the door for Rose. His eyes briefly left the sonic to look at her collarbone. Bite marks? The Doctor started to ask, but stopped himself and continued working on the sonic. He didn't like thinking about what that Master might have done to Rose, even worse that she had allowed him, but he did his best to ignore it, knowing that it was just part of their last-chance plan.

"Hang on, old girl, we're coming for you," the Doctor muttered, moving a bit into the hallway, sneakered foot holding the door open, eyes still locked on the Gallifreyan device. The cloister bell rang loudly in his ears.

When she finished fixing her outfit, Rose couldn't help but snort at the image she was met with. The Doctor, in a matter of pure seconds, had slipped on his glasses and was tinkering with the sonic. She rolled her eyes, but grinned at him nonetheless. "Thank you." She murmured, slipping through the door he held open for her, missing his glance at her collar.

Once in the hallway, she could see the coast was clear. The Master was dangerously understaffed today. She had to wonder if that was something they should be worried about, but they had bigger things to deal with, and so, she took the Doctor by the hand, grinning at him. "Run," Rose directed, before taking off down the hallway.

The Doctor returned her grin as she took his hand. "Isn't that my line?" He laughed a little and they took off. Running, always running. It seemed like they never could get enough of it.

As they reached the door the Doctor signaled her to be quiet. Cautiously, he listened against the door and slowly opened it, hoping not to find any of the Master's missing staff. But, when they stepped inside, there was no one. It was completely empty.

Then their eyes fell on the TARDIS once more and a little pang of sadness hit Rose. "The poor thing." It had gotten the worst of the monstrosity and she could practically feel the amount of rage and worry rolling of the Doctor as he moved towards it.

"What's he done to you, ay?" the Time Lord muttered, spreading his hands towards the TARDIS. "Well, don't you worry now! I'll have you fixed right up, yeah? You're going to be fine, aren't you? Of course you are!" The Doctor's mouth broke into a tiny crooked grin. Rose chuckled. It never ceased to amuse her how that man spoke to that machine.

All at once, they were interrupted by four slow claps.

"I'm impressed, Miss Tyler," snarled a voice from across the room. "But it wasn't good enough. The game is over."

There stood the Master, still bleeding from the side of his head, broken handcuffs dangling from one red wrist.

The Doctor whirled. "What?" he exclaimed. How on earth did the Master reach the TARDIS before they had? The Time Lord twirled his sonic in one hand and removed his glasses. He pulled Rose closer to him. "Look who's awake."

The look on the Master's face was pure anger. Not only were they trying to escape, but, even worse, he had been humiliated by a human girl. His blood boiled.

"Oh, I'm quite quick when I know what's going on," he hissed. "You didn't think I knew what you were planning? You think I believed all of the 'oh, please, Master, I need you'?" The Master waved his hands in the air, mocking Rose in a poorly imitated female voice. "Really? I may be mad, Miss Tyler, but I'm not stupid. I read your mind. I knew what you and the Doctor were planning."

"Oh? And I suppose you just let me knock you out with a lamp?"

"A moment of...weakness," the Master snarled, straightening. "And what was that earlier? Trying to read my mind? You earth women are so slow."

"Go to the TARDIS," the Doctor ordered Rose. He gently pushed her behind him. "Go."

"I'm not leaving you again."

"Rose, go to the TARDIS _now_." The Doctor looked at her, pleading. He then backed up, pushing Rose along with him, aiming his sonic at the Master as if it would do any good. "It's over, Master. One press of this button," the Doctor waggled the sonic in his hand, "and this magnificent ship of yours goes straight into the ocean."

Rose cast the Doctor a wide-eyed look of horror.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Doctor!" The Master snickered, loving that even Rose was shocked by his threat. "I know you wouldn't do that. You would kill everyone aboard this ship, including yourself, the TARDIS, and Rose because there's no way you'll get out of here in a paradox machine. And you know it." He smirked. "Now, give up, Doctor. There's no escape."

"I can fix the TARDIS," the Doctor fired back. "You've already underestimated us once, are you sure you want to make that mistake again?" He kept moving back, edging closer to the TARDIS.

"No, I know you, Doctor." The Master grinned, pulling out his laser screwdriver. "And I know you won't kill all these humans. Not like this. Not another genocide on your hands."

Rose's eyesbrows raised. _Genocide? _

"I'll do it, Master," he snapped, now pointing the screwdriver threateningly upwards.

"You lie so much, don't you?" the other Time Lord scoffed, pointing his laser at Rose, making her flinch back behind the Doctor. She didn't want to be used as a threat to the Doctor again.

"Fine Tyler, if you're going to hide..." the Master growled, "...then I'll kill the Doctor."

"I warned you," piped the Doctor, ignoring his threat. _I hope this works..._ He pressed the button on his sonic and an earsplitting squeal tore the air. The large airship let out a low groan and the lights flickered pitifully before blinking out.

As soon as he pressed the button, he turned and started shoving Rose towards the TARDIS. "Go! Go! Get in the TARDIS, now!"

"What are you doing?" The Master roared, before the room when dark. He frantically tried to fire his sonic laser, but it didn't do anything. Growling and cursing, the Time Lord stared angrily into the darkness. "Doctor! I will kill you and I will kill her when I find you!" He tossed his useless screwdriver to the floor, running for where the TARDIS has been, hoping to run into one of the two.

Rose obliged, heart pounding, she heaved open the doors to the TARDIS and ran inside. "Doctor, come on!" She reached for his hand. But the Master had what he needed, sight by the bright red light glowing from the inside of the TARDIS. He ran for it, trying to grab Rose by her shirt and reaching for the Doctor.

The Master had just barely caught the Doctor's long coat. He felt the snag and tried to slip out of the garment, managing to free one arm. He let out a curse in Gallifreyan and grabbed the side of the TARDIS, forcing Rose the rest of the way in. _Ha! _He had the Doctor in his grasp. He tugged on the coat, trying to dislodge the Time Lord's hold on his TARDIS. "This is between you and me, Doctor," the Master hissed, seizing the back of his suit jacket and pulling harder.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed. She scrambled up to her hands and knees then jumped to her feet. "Doctor! Take my hand, please!"

The Doctor reached for Rose, but it was too late. His grip on the TARDIS slipped and he stumbled backwards into the Master. Rolling, the Doctor slipped out of his trench coat and stopped, waiting, slowly rising from his crouching position to stand. "Rose, lock yourself in the TARDIS, I'll be fine." His voice was tense.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted again. She was of no mind to listen to him when the TARDIS seemed to take matters into her own hands. The doors suddenly slammed shut, trapping Rose inside. She tried jiggling the lock, tried to open the door, but the TARDIS wouldn't budge.

"Please, you have to let me help him! You can't keep me in here, please!"

The Master smirked at the Doctor as their only light source vanished, replaced by the muffled screams of the ever faithful companion. "You know she's not going anywhere in that TARDIS, and I'll get her out after this. And you know what? I think after you're dead, I'll make Rose Tyler mine just to spit on your grave." He reached for his screwdriver, now glowing dimly. The emergency power in it had activated.

"I will kill you, Doctor. And I won't regret it."

The Doctor forced a sarcastic chuckle. "Yeah? I'm pretty hard to kill," he breathed, stepping back. "I just keep coming back." He chewed on his lip, now wishing there were some other light besides the Master's sonic. His wouldn't do that much good either.

"Oh, I will make sure you die." The Master hissed, "Every last regeneration. Gone like this." He snapped his fingers, grinning.

"That, I'm afraid, won't be that easy." Seeing he didn't have much of a choice, the Doctor lunged at the Master, grappling for his sonic laser.

The madman hadn't expected the crazed lunge from the usually pacifistic Doctor, but he accepted it with gleeful, manic laughter. The Master was shoved to the floor, but kept his laser just out of the Doctor's reach. "Ooh, Doctor, didn't know you felt this way." He grinned.

The Doctor wrinkled his nose at the Master's snide, suggestive comment. "I won't let you win this time! You've done far too much damage!" He wriggled again, grappling with the Master and straining to reach for the laser. All at once the Master had kneed him in the stomach, sending the Doctor rolling away on his side.

Laughing, the crazed Time Lord shoved the Doctor back down before he could stand again punched him firmly in the jaw. The Doctor sputtered, spitting out blood and managed to shove the other Time Lord off, only to be nearly kicked in the face as he staggered to his feet. The Gallifreyan coughed and ran at the Master again, desperately trying to knock the sonic from his hand.

"Let me out!" Rose continued to demand, finally slumping against the door. And then, gently at first, she felt a strange sensation probing at her mind. She recognized this feeling... It was the TARDIS, trying to tell her something.

Opening her mind, Rose Tyler felt herself flooded with memories: A large truck, tearing open the TARDIS, staring into the Time Vortex... Hair flowing, golden eyes, and entire Dalek fleet destroyed by...

By her.

Now she understood. She_ was _the Bad Wolf.

Slumped over on the floor now, Rose Tyler clutched at her hair, knowing what she had to do, knowing what she had to summon to save her Doctor.  
>"Make it come back."<p>

The Doctor strained to reach the sonic then, suddenly stopped. A distinct noise met his ears. Singing? The Doctor's blood ran cold and unconsciously let go of the Master, eyes staring at the TARDIS as the red light from its windows washed gold. "No..." He couldn't breathe. "No...no no no no! ROSE!"

As doors to the TARDIS flung open and the entire room was filled with the intense light, the Time Lord stiffened. There Rose stood, eyes glowing that familiar gold light, her hair whipping around her face. Bad Wolf was strong, too strong to remain in Rose's frail human body. It had nearly killed her the last time. His nightmare rushed back into his mind. "Rose!"

"What...?" the Master stammered, as Rose Tyler stepped from the TARDIS, her entire body illuminated by the magnificent light of the Vortex. "What the hell?"  
>"<em>I am Bad Wolf,<em>" the girl spoke, in the voice of hundreds, a voice so like and yet unlike her own, "_I am here to protect my Doctor._"

"It was her!" The Master seethed, nearly pulling his hair out. "She was the Bad Wolf and you lied to me, Doctor!" He pointed his sonic laser at the other Time Lord and growled. "You lied to me!" Without so much of a second thought, the Master fired his sonic. The Doctor didn't have time to react as the Master shot him. He screamed, collapsing to his knees, hand gripping the left side of his chest. He listened for the distinct four-beat measure of his heart, but he only heard two. One of his hearts had stopped entirely.

_ Well, that would explain the searing pain..._

He gasped for breath and smirked at the Master despite his pain, recalling his one of old friend's taunts. "Don't you remember, Master?" The Doctor coughed, wincing. "Every time I open my mouth, I'm lying."

The Bad Wolf held up a hand, dissolving the Master's screwdriver. "_You will pay for your crimes._ _But first, everything must be set right. Paradoxes dissolved, timelines restored._" A great wind filled the room. "_Time is reversing._" The Bad Wolf's hands lowered, and the wind settled.

"_The timelines are restored._"

In fact, it was the very same day that the president had been killed. No one had been murdered, no Toclafane, nothing. Everything was set back to the way it should have been. Her hands lifted again, and the TARDIS restored, the paradox completely weeded out of the universe.

"_I am the Bad Wolf. I restore all there is, all there was and all there ever could be._"

"No! What have you done?" the Master wailed, falling to his knees.

It was then that the Bad Wolf caught sight of the Doctor. Her Doctor, clutching his heart, dying. The small, singular voice of Rose Tyler came out from the entity. "Doctor..." She sounded heartbroken. The human would not let this happen. Not when they were so close to being free.

He was dying. This was it. He could feel himself about to regenerate. He felt it bubbling deep inside him, burning...

"_I am the Bad Wolf," _the entity spoke again, kneeling beside the Doctor, "_I give life._"

She leaned over him, to kiss him deeply, transferring life, changing his timeline. He wasn't meant to die this way.

The Doctor breathed in sharply as Rose kissed him. Warmth flooded through his body and he felt his cells repairing themselves, but the sensation of regenerating had blown away entirely. Energy pulsed from Bad Wolf and into his veins and his heart began beating again. Strength returned to his muscles and he wrapped his arms around Rose, holding the kiss even after he felt himself recover fully. At the same time, the Doctor was healing Rose of the Vortex. It wasn't their time to die. Not yet.

The kiss was divine, Rose could feel the Doctor's life force being returned. Like he was taking the very essence of the vortex from her. And it was amazing.  
>"Doctor..." Rose murmured against his lips, the last bit of gold falling from her lips. She kissed him again. The Doctor only smiled and deepened the kiss. He didn't want to let her go, ever, ever again. They had won. Through everything, they had won.<p>

Rose couldn't bear to let him go. A hand brushed through his hair as the kiss intensified. This was ridiculous, snogging on the floor while the Master looked on. In the torture room, no less; and yet, it never felt so right. Finally, when she needed air, she pulled away from him, grinning at him with her sparkling brown eyes.

The Master was dumbstruck, as he fell to his knees. "No... No! Stop it! You two have bloody well ruined everything!"

Silently, the door to the torture room opened. Lucy walked in, eyes locked on the Master. Her expression was dull, sad. She said nothing as she looked at him, the pathetic Time Lord on bending knees, wallowing in his Master glanced behind him to see her standing there. "Oh, Lucy..." he murmured, shaking his head at her. "Just go. Get out of here. You should not be here."

Lucy was shaking, but her face betrayed no fear as her hand raised, a small pistol gleaming from her hand in the pale light from the TARDIS. She aimed directly at the Master, her husband. "You...you shouldn't be here," she choked, lips quivering as she fell on the verge of tears.

The Doctor smiled, taking in a few deep breaths after their rather long kiss. His hearts felt like they could explode. Had that really just happened? His mind was whirring like mad. "Rose Tyler, I-"

A gunshot pierced the air before he could finish.

The pistol caught the Master's eye, and for once those deep, cruel eyes filled with fear. "Lucy, what are you doing with that? Lucy!" And then... A gunshot. It all moved so slowly, the burial of the bullet in his chest, the blood spreading all over his white shirt. "You..."

He collapsed.

Rose whirled to see Lucy Saxon, standing over her husband's dying form, a gun in her hand. "Oh, Lucy... Oh no, no, no, Lucy." The woman who had made this all possible, the only person on this ship who had taken pity on her, had just ruined her own future.

Lucy stood there, eyes locked on the dying man, unable to tear her gaze from the blood blooming from his chest. Tears began dripping from her cheeks and the woman dropped the gun. She was shaking. She didn't even look at Rose as she spoke to her. Lucy had snapped.

The Doctor couldn't believe what had just happened. "Oh no..." He stood and walked over not to Lucy, but to the Master and knelt down. He sadly looked over his once best friend. All the hatred he had for the Master seemed to fade. He had never really wanted to kill him. At times he knew he felt like he did, but when it came down to it, the Doctor didn't want to be alone, he didn't want to watch his friend, the last man on earth who could truly understand the terrors of a Time Lord, die.

"You're going to be okay, yeah? Just regenerate, you'll be fine."

The world was growing colder, and the Master could feel the familiar spark of regeneration pooling in his belly. Yes, a new face, a new personality. Pity, he had liked Harold Saxon. And then, there was the Doctor, standing over him, the only thing in his tunnel vision. With such ridiculous suggestions... Disgusting, awful suggestions.  
>"And do what exactly?" he croaked, now relishing the feeling of his death. "Stay with you? Be another one of your pets? No thanks, Doctor, I think I'll let you do this alone." He cried out in pain, then laughed, squashing his regeneration. The Master would die today.<p>

"You can start over," the Doctor added, growing desperate. Why did he feel so strongly about forcing this terrible man to live? He deserved this didn't he? The Time Lord had once wanted to destroy the Master for all he had done...hadn't he?

"Yeah, you can start over," he repeated. "We can get help for you. Just regenerate." His brow wrinkled in worry. The Master's body should be repairing itself by now. "Don't do this. We're the only ones left! Regenerate!"

Lucy blinked as the Doctor stated growing louder, snapping from her trance-like stare. A gurgled sob blubbered from her throat and she turned to Rose. "I killed him," she gasped. "I killed my husband!"

Oh, this was the ultimate good. This was the ultimate success. The Doctor, pitiful in his weakness, begging him to regenerate. "Look at you... How far you've fallen," the Master chuckled, darkness pulling at the edge of his consciousness. "Ah, the drums...they're going to stop." He grinned, his head falling back. "Look at that, Doctor. I win." The Master released a strained chuckle, growled in pain, then slowly succumbed to death's icy embrace.

The Doctor drew a sharp breath and pulled the Master to him, mumbling a Gallifreyan farewell. He would have smiled at the irony of it all; the Master and the Doctor had been neck and neck with everything, the madman always trying to kill him or his companion. It had almost turned into a sort of game for the Master and now he lay dead in his rival's arms.

It took a moment for the Doctor to compose himself, forcing himself not to cry. The Master was right, he had turned soft. Crying over a companion was one thing and then crying over a psychopath was another...but they were still two of a kind, almost brothers in a sense. Such a confusing mixture of emotions ran through the Doctor. He closed his eyes and gently rested the Master back on the floor, taking off his blue coat and covering up the Time Lord's bloody shirt.

"I'll inform the rest of the people on board," the Doctor stated flatly. He looked at Rose and Lucy and pursed his lips into a thin line. This all would pass.

Just like that, the Master was dead. The face that had sneered at them and tortured them for all this time was laying there in peaceful repose. It was almost disturbing, to see him so peaceful. Rose looked on the sight with nearly dead, dim eyes. A human reaction, a painfully human one that defied all logic twisted in her stomach. Betrayed by the Doctor. She had watched as he hoped for the life of a man that tortured her, nearly killed her. Emotions didn't always let one feel a complicated situation and his feeling of betrayal still coursed through her veins like wildfire, threatening to double her over and make her scream. But, swimming along with it was something else came pity. Sorrow. Pain.

Rose didn't feel any of that for the Master. It was all for the Doctor, who had lost the only other of his kind today.  
>She nodded blankly as he spoke to her, before piping up. "We have to help Lucy. We can't leave her here, something's going to happen to her..."<br>The Doctor sighed. "No, of course. We'll help you, Lucy," he answered, setting a hand on her shoulder. Lucy's response was just another blubbered sob and she turned to Rose, burying her face in her shoulder, sputtering nonsense. He frowned.

"Right, then...I'll be back..."


	12. Epilogue

**Written By: ** Savvy Mourns the Wicked and InkFable (xxschadenfreudexx and StarlightWhispers on deviantART)  
><strong>Fandom Universe:<strong> Doctor Who  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Science Fiction  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13/Teen (for violence)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> The Doctor and Rose  
><strong>*Note:<strong> This fanfiction takes place during the episodes 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Time Lords' as if Rose Tyler had never been sent to Pete's world and if Martha Jones had not gone with the Doctor on a second adventure. Contains some spoilers.

* * *

><p>The next... Hours? Days? Weeks? Rose wasn't really sure. But, however long this took, it seemed to drag and drag. The Master had been attended to. A proper Time Lord funeral, cremation on a funeral pyre. Not a single tear had dripped from Rose's eye, and she nearly hated herself for being so vengeful.<p>

The Doctor had dropped Lucy off at a little town in Scotland, a tiny off-the-map spot a few decades into the future where no one would know her as Mrs. Saxon. She would change her name, lay low for a while. The most that he could give her was a chance to start over. Let her scars heal.

Rose sighed and curled up on the TARDIS's jump-seat, not feeling as elated as she should feel. First of all, she and the Doctor hadn't discussed their kisses since, like they were fully prepared to pretend it never even happened. She couldn't quite help but feel a bit hurt. The Doctor seemed a bit more affectionate since, but Rose had nearly convinced herself that she was only imagining things. Or perhaps he was just being more friendly considering the near-death experiences they had recently been through. Secondly, she couldn't get the image of the Doctor begging the Master to regenerate out of her head. She knew she was being selfish, maybe even insensitive, but it stung. What right did that madman have to live? What right did the Doctor have to beg him to keep living?

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Rose questioned softly, not bothering to prop herself up on her elbows. It had been too silent in the TARDIS since their little misadventure with the Master and the Doctor hardly was his usual self.

The suited Time Lord was working diligently on the TARDIS' controls, tweaking this and that, here and there. Everything had gone back to normal for the most part and they should be happy, overjoyed that they had saved the entire earth. Even Jack had been surprised.

"I guess you two won't need me anymore," Harkness had joked, explaining that his to-be rescue was late because Torchwood's controls were down and the repair took longer than expected. In the end, the man had left them to return to Torchwood, promising he'd be back someday.

Despite all the reasons to be happy, the Doctor wasn't. And he noticed that Rose had been particularly quiet as well. He had once or twice thought about bringing up their kisses, maybe apologize, or, if he were brave enough, do it again to see her reaction, but embarrassment held him back.

He ran a hand through his wild, mess of hair and looked over his shoulder at Rose. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm alright," the Doctor replied absentmindedly. "I'm always alright, right?" He forced a grin and looked back at the console and flipped a few switches before turning around to get a better look at her.

This time, the tiny smile that came over him was genuine. Rose looked so sweet, curled up like that. Her hair just barely falling into those big, beautiful brown eyes. "What about you? You've not been yourself much lately. Jack noticed too, you know... Something wrong?"

That was another thing, Rose was missing Jack something fierce. If anything, he had been someone to tell about what had transpired between her and the Doctor, but everything had happened so fast she never got the chance to. She desperately missed having him around and wished he hadn't returned to Torchwood. Jack was like a brother to her. An extremely attractive, omnisexual brother...

Normally, Rose would be happy with it being just her and the Doctor again. As it should be. Then why wasn't she?

"Me?" She sounded surprised that he had asked, noticed even. For some reason she had expected him rather to pop out with: 'So, where do we go next?'

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose said, knowing it sounded so in-genuine. "Alright, well, maybe I'm not. But you know humans and trauma. And that was... a lot of trauma..."

The Doctor considered this. "Perhaps then," he suggested, "I need to take you on a bit of a holiday? Anyplace you like. With, hopefully, no hostile aliens." He smirked a bit. "You think that'd help?"

At his suggestion, she smiled softly. "Oh, come on, Doctor, you know you can't promise no hostile aliens." Rose giggled lightly. "Maybe in the morning, okay? Don't get me wrong, it sounds great, but I think I need a good long sleep to recuperate..."

"Oh, right. Humans and all that sleep they need," he teased. "I don't know how any of you get anything done." The Doctor winked. "Good. Get some rest then. I'll wake you if anything interesting happens." He smiled and turned back to the console, continuing his work.

"Well, we can't all be Time Lords." She smiled softly at him, before giving him a tiny awkward wave. "Good night, Doctor." Her desire to kiss him was squashed as she turned to head back to her room. What had she been thinking?  
>Thirty minutes later, Rose had crawled into her pink-covered bed, snuggling deep into the pillows. She had to admit, she missed having the Doctor laying at her side, something she could curl up against and hold tight, but that was then and this was now. It looked like she would have to settle for dreaming.<br>The Doctor sighed as she left, suddenly feeling lonely again despite the fact she was just in the next room. The tiny fear that if she left him, even just to go to bed, she'd be stolen away from him again sparked in his chest, but he ignored it. That was ridiculous. They had nothing to fear in the TARDIS.  
>A few hours passed and the Doctor had nearly dozed off himself, leaning against the console, puzzling over technobabble on a screen, when he heard Rose screaming. Snapping to attention, the Doctor bolted up and ran into her room. "Rose?" Worriedly he rushed to her bedside and gently shook her arm. "Rose? Rose, wake up!"<p>

The sensation of the Doctor shaking at her arm drove Rose from her nightmares. Her eyes shot open and she bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. Wild brown eyes looked around the room, as if trying to determine that she was alright, that it was all a dream.

Her head was pounding.

Seeing the Doctor at her side, she wasted no time in throwing her arms about him and hugging him tightly. The worry in his brown eyes broke her heart. "I'm sorry...I thought I was stronger than this..."

The Doctor eased himself onto the bed and held her as she hugged him. "What are you going on about?" he asked, rubbing her back. "You are strong, Rose." He moved his hand up to stroke her hair as he continued soothingly, "I wouldn't be here without you. Neither would the rest of the world, actually. You saved me and all of the human race."

Of course he would say that. Rose shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in his shoulder, the overwhelming feeling of shame and fear taking over.

"No... I should be able to get over it and I can't...I just keep thinking about you trying to make him regenerate... And it's selfish of me, because I know how hard that was on you, but I felt like none of it mattered to you. He nearly killed us..." Rose let out a little sputter. When had she ever become such a crybaby? She had always tried to be strong, hide away her fears and did her best to never cry, but she felt so open around the Doctor. Even the strongest of soldiers needed someone to confide in.

The Doctor frowned, realizing how Rose couldn't have helped feeling betrayed. How could he have not noticed before?

"No, it's not selfish at all. It does matter. _You_ matter." He squeezed her a bit in his arms. "I just...the Master was the last of my people. He deserved what happened, I suppose, but I had hoped that maybe he could change." The Doctor pulled his head back a little. Her skin was burning. He rested a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature. He hoped this wasn't because of Bad Wolf. "Want me to check you over? You know, make sure you're not sick?"

"I'm fine..."

"You're burning up."

Rose sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "It's just a headache, a little fever. I'm fine."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile. "Better to be safe than sorry. C'mon. I'll have the TARDIS run a quick scan."

"Well, okay..." Rose sighed. She felt like a burden at the moment. The last thing the Doctor needed was to have to take care of her when he was feeling like he was. She cursed herself silently. Why was she always so much trouble? So selfish? She wanted the comfort of the Doctor, but at the same time she knew he had his own worries. She felt terrible.

"I'm sorry...I don't know what's going on. It's probably just the shock."

_I am the Bad Wolf..._

Her head pierced, and she winced. Rose knew exactly what was going on.

The Doctor worriedly looked at her as he felt her tense. "Well, we'll just have to have a looksee," he said, trying to sound light-hearted. But he was terribly concerned. Bad Wolf had nearly killed her the first time, well, the vortex energy had. The Doctor assumed that the last time it had canceled itself out seeing how she kissed him while he was regenerating to heal him and the damage he took from absorbing the vortex energy from her was in turn healed by the beginning of his regeneration. A tad complicated, but it sounded logical in his mind. Still, he had been wrong before.

"Have you, by any chance, heard singing? Or music of some sort?" the Doctor asked, steadying her next to the console and pulling a screen out between them. "In your head, I mean. You told me the first time that you remembered singing. I heard it as well the last time before you came out of the TARDIS."

At least the Doctor seemed fairly chipper about this whole thing. Honestly, she was probably worrying over nothing. After all, weren't nightmares very common post-trauma, and perhaps sickness was as well? That made sense. She leaned against the console, as the Doctor steadied her there. In her head, she could still hear it, murmuring. It sounded distant, but it was clear. As he mentioned the singing, it got even clearer in her head. Rose's eyes clenched, and she nodded, images from every Bad Wolf moment clouding her mind, beating their way to the forefront.

"Doctor, I'm starting remember things..." She gasped in terror. "I-I killed you! I forced you to regenerate!"

The Doctor raised a brow as the screen between them began scanning her, an outline of Rose's body lighting up in blue. Symbols rolled down by its side and his lips formed a small 'o' as he read them.

"Ah, yes, well...remembering things..." he muttered, more to himself than her. "That should be a good thing, I think..." Quite the contrary, the Doctor wasn't sure. "The scan says you've still got a bit of extra vortex energy running through you. Not a deadly amount, I don't believe, but even the tiniest bit might be what's hurting you."

"How can I still have vortex energy in me?" Rose questioned, looking up at the Doctor. Wouldn't it kill her? "What am I supposed to do? If it won't kill me, it shouldn't be so bad that it's in there... Right?" She doubled over again, sucking in a breath as something pierced in her head again.

The Doctor caught and steadied her, wrapping his arms around her gently. "Well, you've always had a tiny amount of it already fused with your DNA, I'm assuming," he stated, suddenly finding that idea curious. "But you've got just a small amount too much. It won't kill you, but it's not quite a picnic either."

"Fused with my DNA?" Rose looked worried. What on earth did that mean? Whatever it meant for her genetics, it probably was not good.

Like I said," he corrected, rambling, "only an assumption. Otherwise I can't imagine how you would have survived absorbing the Vortex for such a period the first time. I'm only spouting ideas." The Doctor shook his head. "But how that happened isn't important now."

He paused.

"You remember how I kissed you before?" he suddenly asked.

What a silly question. Of course she remembered the kiss! She remembered all of their kisses now that she remembered the Bad Wolf. Him kissing her to save her, then her kissing him back to life just a few days ago.

"Of course," she replied curiously. "The time you...kissed me to save my life?"

The Doctor smiled a little at her answer. "Might have to do that again."

Se froze at bis suggestion. Of course she had no intention of passing up a kiss from the Doctor. No intention at all. In fact, she could think of few things she would love more than that. But right now? Purely in the name of science? Why did that make her feel so...unwanted?

"Well uh... Sure..." she said lamely."If you think it's necessary."

"Well," he added quickly, a bit bolder than usual, "I rather enjoyed it." He smiled a little and, before she could respond, leaned in.

The Doctor wasn't good at expressing his feelings, or at least, expressing that sort of love. He didn't entirely understand it and he admitted that perhaps even though he was hundreds of years old, he hadn't ever felt this kind of love for someone. But after the scare of thinking he lost her, the Doctor felt even more desperate to somehow get across to her that he was in love with her, too afraid to say it bluntly. As he kissed her, part of the Doctor wanted to just exclaim "I love you!" and face the possibility of rejection, but the other part of him, the logical Time Lord part of him, told him that it would only end in tragedy. Why did this have to be so difficult?

Whatever doubts Rose Tyler might have had to his intentions for this particular kiss faded when he smiled at her. And the words that flowed from his mouth just before helped as well. He enjoyed it. He _wanted_ to kiss her. Not had to, he wanted to. And that made all the difference.

As he kissed her, she held his face gently, almost nervously in her hands. For once, it wasn't a kiss brought on by pure, overwhelming emotion or necessity or tricks. Just affection. Love on Rose Tyler's side, of course. Absolute love and this felt quite right, this gentle kiss, with her leaning up against the console of the TARDIS, his warmth surrounding her. It really did feel right.

This was the most perfect moment, more than Rose Tyler ever could have dreamed of. To think, just a few years ago, she had been destined to marry Mickey Smith, work in a shop for the rest of her life, and pop out a few babies... But now, here she was, floating through time and space with the man of her dreams.  
>Well, Time Lord of her dreams.<p>

The Doctor held it a bit longer, and felt his ears grow warm as Rose lifted her hands to his face. Almost awkwardly, the he let his arms fall around her waist and he deepened the kiss ever so slightly. Suddenly, as if becoming aware of what he was doing, the Doctor pulled back until his face was just about an inch away from hers.  
>"I, uh, I'm sorry," the Doctor mumbled, embarrassed.<p>

"No, it's fine..." Rose murmured, looking down, blushing bright red, "I didn't mind." She grinned at him, shrugging. He was an expert kisser, but his awkwardness was endearing to say the least. "The singing's gone."

The Doctor looked briefly back down at her lips then her eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked, almost sounding disappointed. A teasing little smirk crept across his face. "I think I still hear something."

The blush on Rose's face spread all the way to her ears. She knew exactly what the Doctor was playing at, and she didn't mind it one bit. Although, part of her wanted to laugh at him for acting like a regular bloke. She grinned at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"Well, maybe you should be a little more thorough, and make completely sure," she said softly, amusement in her voice.

When it came down to it, no matter whether you were human or Time Lord, all men were generally the same; always pulling lame lines. It wasn't exactly the Doctor's fault anyway if this little pink and yellow human had stolen both his hearts and kept his head high in the clouds until he wasn't entirely sure at all what he was saying.

He chuckled at her reply and leaned back in where Rose met him the rest of the way, kissing him gently at first. Before long, she was full-on snogging him, her hands raking through his hair. The Doctor was a little surprised at Rose's reaction, but he found that he enjoyed it. Just as he started to kiss a bit more passionately as well, the TARDIS made a terrible noise and before he knew what was happening, Rose was jostled from his arms and toppled to the floor. The Doctor himself had just barely had time to catch himself on the control panel before he too fell completely over.

"What was that?" Rose exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I've not the slightest," he answered, just as confused. At the same time, the Doctor heard an unfamiliar voice speak up from the other side of the control panel:

"You've done it again, Sweetie...next time _I'll_ take the controls."

"River, this wasn't my fault. I...er, well...I planned this. It's a plan."

"Doctor, where are we? It looks like..."

"Yes, Rory, it's a TARDIS. Specifically, well...my TARDIS."

{END}

subOr is it?/sub

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><p><em>Thanks so much for reading LotTL AU! This was originally a roleplay between me and Savvy; Savvy being Rose Tyler and the Master and me as the Doctor and Lucy Saxon. I know that this story still has plenty of brushing up to do and is probably littered with plot holes, but it wasn't meant to be perfect. It was simply a roleplay that we both enjoyed and thought would be cool to share. :D<em>

_Savvy and I have also continued this roleplay into another story (as you probably guessed from the last bit of this epilogue ;D) which features the meeting of Ten and Eleven along with their ever faithful companions! I particularly enjoyed the upcoming story since it was a bit more thought out/planned than this one. So, I will probably take longer to upload it. _

_So, yes, thank you again! You've no idea how much I appreciated getting comments on these and seeing how people liked it. *hugs for all* Keep your eyes open for more fics!_

_~InkFable_

_(PS - I also apologize to those who had hoped there would be more mind-reading and Jack. D: I had intended on bringing Harkness back at some point, but we never really got around to fitting him into the roleplay and when I was editing, I realized there wasn't much of a place for Captain Jack. Perhaps if someone can toss a prompt out at me, I might to a Jack-centered fic... )  
><em>


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